Life Problems
by XbloodlyluvedX
Summary: SEQUEL TO HIGH SCHOOL PROBLEMS! It's been five years after Akane left. Our gang has grown and are on their own paths. But what happens when some obsticales get in their way of happiness. Rated T but might go up if anything.
1. Lost Letters

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**Yay! It's the sequel! XD**

**So, I know that the title sucks but whatever. I'm back!**

**Now, let's get started. I don't own Shugo-Chara. ;)**

* * *

It's been five years since The Stones was shut down, since Ikuto's graduation, since Akane left. Everyone's grown up and is living their lives as they wait for their friend's return.

The youngest of the group, Yaya and Kairi were now 19 and 18 and starting their first year in college. Yaya was studying dance to become a ballerina and Kairi was studying at the same college with computer classes. On holidays, Kairi would drive them down to visit the others since Yaya still doesnt want to grow up and drive.

Ikuto finished college where he used the music scholarship he got and also studied business to help his dad with Easter Production. He even got his own contract as a famous violinist. As he works in the building, he gets to hang out with Haru or Raiden as he records new songs. Although he's the one most anxious for Akane's return, Haru has been able to live a normal life. He's also cut himself off any harmful substance.

Not only does Ikuto visit Haru, he visits Amu. She goes to a college near by since she didn't want to be away from home. She's gets good grades and had won a full scholarship for her art. When she's not on studying, she's working in the new bakery in town called Mother Angel's Bakery.

Mother Angel's Bakery was actually started by the Mashiro's with help of the Fujisaki's. Rima goes to the same college as Amu and she takes acting classes along with comedy classes and also, cullinary arts-in other words-food. Every since she made that cake in the Garden for her friends and they loved it, she's started baking more. Eventually, the Mashiro's started a business for her for when she gets out. She works there when she's not studying like Amu. As for Nagihiko, he studies in a college a little further out in dance and on a basketball scholarship but he manages to get to the Bakery on time to work with Rima.

Tadase goes to the same college as Nagihiko and is taking all the major subjects to become a teacher since he's going to me Seiyou's next princpal soon. When Nagihiko goes to work at the Bakery, Tadase gets a ride down there too to see Lulu.

Lulu has been happy with Tadase. She stays in the old house that she lived in when she lived in Japan back years ago. Every now and then, her parents would sent some money over for her to go back to france to visit. But in the mean time, Lulu works with Amu, Rima, and Nagihiko to be indepent.

Utau has gotten real big on the charts and has been holding many concerts and recording new songs. She's even had a tour for two years but unfortantly didn't get to see Akane. Kukai went with her on her tour since the two were inseparable. Kukai, when he's home, goes to college with Nagihiko and Tadase on a soccer scholarship.

Aoi and Daigo are still in school. Aoi was in her final year of high school and Daigo was now an 8th grader. Aoi has all honors and Daigo is the top instructor at the dojo in town and they still live with Daiki comfortably, awaiting for their sister to come home from her five year tour.

All their charas had returned to their hearts now that they were working to fulfill their dreams and become their would-beselfs but Aoi and Daigo only got theirs. Since the Guardians were all grown up now, Seiyou had to find new Guardians. Aoi was made Queen while Daigo was made Jack since they were the firsts to get their charas along with the King, Ace, and Jocker of the group.

But the thing that bothers them all in the past five years is that Akane promised to keep in contact with them as she was on her tour. And she kept her promise...for three years. After that, no more letters came in from her and the gang would end up getting their letters back since the mail couldn't find where she was. They keep up to date with her concerts by checking the Easter site for where she'll be and then they'd watch her concert on TV but thats about it. They knew in what country she was in but mail never came and mail never went. Ikuto's tryied talking to his dad to call Akane but whenever they'd call, she would never pick up. Eventually, after four years of tracking her on the site and watching her concerts, the concerts stopped and news on her stopped too. No one knew where she was. That is...until one day.

* * *

Aoi's POV

"Phew, glad that's over. Norio-kun kept dragging on and on and on-"

"True. But according to the former Guardians, he's not as bad as Tadase-kun."

I nodded in agreement with my chara, Chiye. She was born not that long after Akane-nee left. She looks like a mini me with her hair tied back with a swirly clip and wore a white sports shirt, a blue plaid skirt, and black mary-janes. She was my would-beself to be able to do anything.

Daigo wasn't walking home with me because he had class today so he had to leave the meeting early. But it was okay. I'm use to it. Eventually, I made it to Daiki's apartment. We moved a few months after Akane left to be closer to the school and the Easter building. I walked up to the mailboxes and unlocked it. There was a ton of mail.

"Woah...What's all of this?" I took the mail and walked towards the doors, scanning through the mail. "Bill...Bill...Bill...Advertisement...More Bills...Woah, What the hell?" At the end was a pile of letters kept together by a rubberband and a sticky note on it.

_We're sorry for the inconvience. These letters were lost over the pass three years._

"It can't be," I gasped. I tore off the rubber band and went through the letters. All the dates were at the top corner of the envelopes. All three years... "Oh my god." The last letter was resent. It was writen just a few days ago. I felt my breath catch in my throat.

"Aoi...Aoi, you have to tell the others."

I shoved the other letters in my bag, keeping the recent one in my hands as I ran into town. I dodged people easily and made it to every light.

"You should've dropped off your bag before you ran off," Chiye said, keeping in float pace with me.

"I know. But this is important!"

Soon, I made it to the Mother Angel's Bakery. I burst through the door, the bell above the door chimes, signaling my presences. I stood there panting, trying to catch my breath. Everyone stared at me confused but a few didn't.

Rima and Nagihiko seemed to be on their shifts since they were behind the counter and Amu was tea and cake with Ikuto, Kukai, and Utau. While at another table, Lulu was having cake with Tadase. Yaya and Kairi were visiting again because they were standing at the counter. They _were_ talking to Rima and Nagihiko until I came in. But where's Haru?

"Aoi-chan...Are you okay?" I looked over my shoulder to meet deep black eyes that belonged to my brother figure.

"It's a letter...It's a letter from Akane-nee," I panted, waving the letter in my hand. "She's been sending letters over the past three years. They were lost in the mail." I reached into my bag and showed them all of the letters from over the past few years.

"Come, we'll go upstairs," Rima said, letting us walk behind the counter and upstairs to the little louge we have.

Once upstairs, I dumped out all the letters out of my bag and everyone starting taking one of the letters, opening them, and reading them outloud. So many of them were directed at certain people. Like the letter Yaya was reading was directed to congratulate Rima on the new Bakery. The one Ikuto was reading was directed to Lulu saying she met her parents while in France. The one Lulu was reading was directed to Haru saying how much she's missing him. The one Kukai was reading was directed to Daigo to congratulate him on becoming top instructor at the dojo. And there were some just talking about what she's done. About when she finally published her books. About her new songs. Her concerts. Meeting new people.

There were so many that we went through until we got the letters from this past year.

_"I feel so lonely now that no one writes back..."_

_"I'm starting to get worried. It's been four years, getting close to five and I still haven't found Mama and Papa. I need someone to talk to...Please respond."_

_"Have you all forgotten me?"_

_"I dont' know what to say..."_

"She thinks we've forgotten about her..." Haru said, falling back on the couch.

"_All_ of these letters were lost in the mail...? And they're giving them to you _now_?" Ikuto said, sitting on the floor by the couch, still looking through letters.

"But this one's recent," Utau held up the letter.

"What does it say?"

She ripped the envelope and took out the letter carefully. _It_ was folded in three just like Akane usually does. Now that it was open, we were able to see through the paper with the light and I was surprised to only see two lines. Two short sentences.

"It says:

_I'm coming home... _

_I'm sorry._

"That's it?" Amu asked.

"There's nothing else here," Utau shook her head after looking in the envelope again.

"But she's coming back to Japan," Nagihiko said smiling.

"But what does she mean by _I'm sorry_?" Haru asked.

Akane-nee...What's going on?

* * *

**Alright! First chapter! Whoo! XD I'm excited to write this ;)**

**R&R plz**


	2. The Bet

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**So before I start this chapter, I wanna wish KonekoNeko a belated birthday XD! Whoo!**

**Thanks for all of the reviews for just the first chapter of this sequel. Oh! And Demyxfan001, about the stalking thing. It's not considered stalking until you find out my real name, where I live, my high school, and blah blah blah so we're good =D lol**

**Let's get started. I don't own Shugo Chara.**

* * *

Nagihiko's POV

We finished going through all the letters and just finished reading Akane's recent letter.

"That's it?" Amu-chan asked.

Utau-chan picked up the envelope and looked inside but shook her head, "There's nothing else here."

"But she's coming back to Japan," I smiled.

"But what does she mean by _I'm sorry_?" Haru asked.

It got quiet as we all thought until Ikuto picked his head up, "She didn't find her parents."

"That...makes sense."

We all looked at Aoi-chan sadly. She's been through so much already. Losing her parents, her sister being toyed around by The Stones, her sister becoming blind and then leaving for five years...and now, Akane's coming back empty handed.

"Aoi-chi, we're so sorry," Yaya crawled up next to her and hugged her.

"It's okay. She gave it her best shot."

Startling most of us, a bell went off up here and I realized that we left the counter unattended. We thought ahead and placed like a doorbell on the counter so that if we're not there and we're up hear, we'll know we need to go down.

"You guys go, we'll stay with Aoi," Lulu nodded.

Rima and I got up and walked back down stairs to counter. There were already a few people forming a little.

"Sorry about that."

"Nagi, do we have anymore chocolate prezels?"

"Yeah, the extra's are in the fridge."

We quickly got to all the customers just when everyone was coming back down. Aoi gave us a small smile as she waved goodbye.

"Wait, Aoi!" She stopped and turned around as Rima went into the back and came back with a brown bag. She walked up to Aoi and smiled at her (they were about the same height and Aoi's 18), "When I'm down, I always eat these. They make me feel better."

Aoi gladly took the bag and looked inside and smiled back at Rima, "Arigatou, Rima-chan."

We watched Aoi walk out of the store and walk down the sidewalk looking into the bag.

"What did you give her?" Kairi asked as Rima walked back to us.

"Cookies that look like our charas," she blushed.

"They must look terrible," Ikuto chuckled.

"They don't XP. Amu managed to sketch a molding of our charas. So we gave it in and they gave us the moldings. We just decorate them. The kids love them."

"I miss them," Amu sighed.

"We all do."

One by one, we all had our charas return to our hearts. It started with Ikuto-kun and ended with Kairi-kun. Around the time Lulu's chara, Nana went back into her heart, Daigo recieved his chara, Yuichi. And when Tadase's chara, Kiseki, went back, Aoi recived her chara, Chiye.

"Well, we all gotta go."

"Okay. Thanks for dropping by."

Each of them left, Utau and Kukai walked away in one direction, Tadase and Lulu the other, Kairi and Yaya got into his car and went went off, and Ikuto and Amu left in Ikuto's car. But Haru didn't leave.

"Can I have a cup of Jasmine?" he asked.

"You're paying you know," Rima giggled, as she took out some cookies for a customer.

"I know," he chuckled.

I got a tea cup out and poured out the jasmine I had going. As I stired the tea, I looked over and saw that he took a seat at the window seat. He took out a few of the letters. Aoi must of let him keep some. His eyes ran across the sheet as he sighed and looked out the window, his cheek resting on his fist. I took the cup and walked over to his table and placed it down.

"Don't worry. She'll come back to you," I said.

"Five years is a long time to change a person's mind...Especially when you're meeting new people."

"You've been five years without Akane and you've met new people...You haven't changed your mind have you?"

"No..."

"And neither has Akane. If I remember well, she's not the type of person to change her mind."

He looked up at me and smiled as he took a sip of the tea, "Thanks, Nagihiko."

"No problem."

"How much is the tea?"

"Don't worry about, just don't tell Rima."

He laughed and continued to drink the tea as I went back to work.

* * *

Rima and I were over my house doing homework. Normally, I'd be on my way back to my dorm with Tadase and Kukai but tomorrows a Saturday and we have a holiday coming up. Not much of a holiday. Just that they're fixing something on campus so they don't want student around. I glanced up from my work and look at Rima who was sitting across from me. She was wearing her hair back in a ponytail because she hates how her hair gets in the way when she's writing or reading. She was adorable when she looked frustrated with something but she looked so sexy when she's speeding right through her homework. Yes, I know. I have a twisted mind.

Then something in just snapped. It was the same kind of feeling when Rhythm character-changed with me.

I stood up but Rima didn't pay much attention to me. She continued writing as I walked behind her and sat down. That was when she looked up. She looked over her shoulder at me and then I picked her up and placed her on my lap.

"What are you doing? ._."

"Having fun with my girlfriend," I said, nuzzling my face into her neck.

"N-nagi."

She smelled like raspberries and cookies from the bakery, it was a strange mix but intoxicating either way. I lightly kissed her neck before kissing her on the lips. She didn't hesitate like she would do when we were younger. She turned on my lap until she was stradling me now. She had one hand pressed against my chest while the other cupped my cheek. I had one hand on her thigh and the other, taking off her hairtie to let out her hair. Once her hair was out, I ran my fingers through the soft locks. She loves it when I play with her hair. Then...it happened -_-

_Ding-Ding!_

"Nagihiko! Stop trying to get Rima pregnant and get the door!" my Mother shouted from the kitchen.

Rima and I pulled away and I shouted back, "What the hell, Mom!"

"Love you too, son!"

Rima laughed as she got off my lap and I got up to answer the door. As I slide the door open, Aruto-san pushed pass me, quickly taking his shoes off, and running into the kitchen.

"Ha! I won the bet! Pay up, woman!" I heard from the kitchen.

"Nani!"

Standing at the door laughing was Souko-san, Rima's parents, and Amu and Ikuto. Souko-san was laughing as she went to go get her husband and Rima's parents well...

"I had high hopes, Nagihiko! I lost 3,000yen to his father!" Hama-san shook me and pointed at Ikuto.

I looked at him and he was smirking while Amu was a bright red.

"Annaki! Your son failed us!" Hama-san walked into the house with her husband laughing like crazy behind her.

Rima was now standing next to me as I tried to process what happened.

"...The hell was all that?"

"Well, it seems that our parents had a bet who'd propose first. You, me, or Kukai. My dad won the bet."

"And he won because...?" Rima raised her eyebrow.

Ikuto's smirk grew wider as he lifted Amu's left hand where there was a silver banded ring with a diamond with two small pink and blue jewels at the bottom of it.

"Oh, my god..." I gasped, my mouth hanging.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Amu!" Rima attacked her.

The two of them were hugging and spinning and talking all at once and-dear jesus-it was crazy. They walked inside talking at lightening speed and I just shook my head as Ikuto walked up to me and patted my shoulder.

Amu's POV

I was so happy! XD Ikuto proposed to me! After we told my parents (My mom was very happy and excited for a wedding but my dad grabbed hold of me and was crying 'No! My little sparrow! Don't get married!') we told Ikuto's parents and it was just funny. They got so quiet until Aruto-san turned to Souko-san and said bluntly, "Get the keys." Then he was speeding down to Nagihiko's house. Ikuto couldn't stop laughing.

"Okay, tell me everything," Rima said, sitting me on her bed. Well, the bed she uses when she stays over here.

"Well, after we left your shop-

_Flashback _**(First flashback of the sequel! Yay!)**

_"Ikuto, you passed my house."_

_"I know."_

_"Okay...Are we going to your house?"_

_"Nope."_

_I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my arms, "So where are we going?"_

_"You'll see."_

_I pouted and sat back and tried figuring out where we were going. I don't like it when he doesnt tell me where we're going and he knows that because he's smirking right now. As I watched the houses pass by, I still couldn't tell where we were going and then Ikuto poked me. I turned to tell him not to poke me when I saw that he was driving with one hand and holding a cloth in the other._

_"What's that?"_

_"A blindfold. Put it on."_

_"Why a bli-"_

_"Please. No questions. No more questions for the rest of the day. Just put on the blindfold."_

_"If you're planning on killing me off and dumping my body, you know Rima will kill you ten times over."_

_He chuckled and shook his head, "I would never do that to you, Amu. I just want this to be a surprise."_

_"Fine."_

_I took the blind fold and placed it over my eyes. It was weird then I thought _This is what it's like to be blind...This sucks_. _

_The car turned here and there and stopped sometimes. Probably lights. And it was only making more anxious as to where we were going. Then, the car came to a full stop and I heard Ikuto open his door and shut it._

_"Ikuto?" _

_I was about to take off the blind when my door opened and hand stopped me from taking the blind off._

_"Uh-uh-uh. Not yet. Come on." __I took his hand and he helped me out of the car and held me by the shoulders. I walked with my arms out in front of me, afraid I'll hit something. "Relax, I won't let you get hurt," he whispered into my ear. _

_"I trust you."_

_"Okay. Now, when I say 'jump', jump." I felt his hands on my waist and I nodded. "Jump." __I jumped up and Ikuto lift me up onto something. It swayed and I almost fell if it weren't for Ikuto's hands. "Stay still for a second."_

_As I waited, I realized somethings. I heard the crashing of waves, I heard seagulls, it smelled strongly of seawater, and whatever I was on, kept swaying and rising up and down._

_"We're on...a boat?"_

_The blind fold came off and I quickly closed my eyes from how bright it was. I let my eyes fluttered open to adjust to the light and once I did, I saw Ikuto's smiling face and the sunset behind him. I looked around and took in the boat we were on. It was a white luxury boat. I saw a man on the dock, untying us from the dock and then a man came out of a door. He looked to be a captain._

_"Ikuto-san, are we ready?"_

_"Yes, captain."_

_"Very well." He looked at me and gave me a gentle smile before bowing his head a little, "Welcome onto the Singing Cat, Hinamori-san." Then he went back through the door._

_"The Singing Cat?" I giggled, looking at Ikuto._

_"Hey, Utau and I were little and our dad let us choose the name," he blushed, embarrased._

_"I think its cute," I kissed him._

_When we pulled away he placed a strand of my hair behind my ear and smiled, "We're not done yet. Go under and get changed."_

_"Changed?"_

_"Don't worry. Just get changed," he said, kissing my forehead._

_He walked me under the deck and to the room where I was going to get changed. There was bed with a box sitting on it. I opened it and took out a beautiful black dress that had one strap over the shoulder that fell to my knees. _**(A/N: go to my profile for a picture of the dress)**_ On the floor were black heels to go with it. _

_Excited, I quickly changed into the dress and did my hair up a little with some hair pins on the dressing table. _I think this was Utau's room_._

_When I was done, I walked back up and saw that the sun has still yet to fall behind the horizon, and a table set up with plates, a bottle of wine in a bucket of ice, wine glasses, and I can hear soft dancing music over the sound of the crashing water._

_"Care to dance?"_

_I looked behind me to see Ikuto dressed nicely in black dress pants and shoes, a white dress shirt with a tie. He looked so handsome I was lost for words that I could only place my hand in his and let him walk me onto the deck. He placed his hand on my waist and held my other hand while my right hand was on this shoulder, as we slow danced. It was romantic._

_"When did you have the time to plan all of this?" I asked, as I placed my around his neck and he placed his hands on my waist._

_"I always have time for you, Amu."_

_After five years together, and he can still make me blush like this._

_We danced a little more before we sat down to eat. We talked about whatever and continued talking as we drank some wine. Then it happened._

_"Amu. There's something I want to asked you."_

_"Go ahead."_

_He stood up and got down on one knee in front of me, and he took my hand in his. _Oh, my god_._

_"I've loved you for so long. I know it took you a while to realize your feelings for me but you did. We've been through so much together and everyday I just love you more and more. The way you laugh. The way you smile. The way you can cheer anyone up. How you can make me smile no matter what. I love everything about you. And now, Amu," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box out and opened it. I felt tears in my eyes, "Will you marry me?"_

_I smiled at him even through the tears and answered, "Yes. Of course I'll marry you, Ikuto."_

_He smiled at me as he slipped the ring onto my left ring finger. I stared at the ring on my hand, admiring it and realizing that I was now engaged to Ikuto. He and I stood up and I kissed him with everything i had. I was probably the happiest woman alive._

_End of Flashback_

"It sounds so romantic. I can't believe you're finally engaged to Ikuto," Rima smiled, looking at the ring on my finger.

"I know. But don't worry, Rima. Anyday now, Nagi will propose to you and you'll be Fujisaki Rima."

"Amu!"

* * *

**Yay! Ikuto proposed! XD Aruto won the bet! Too bad for Souko, Hama, and Annaki. They lost. Oh well. I had fun writing this chapter. A mix of pervy and romatic ;D lol**

**R&R plz**


	3. House Lights

Haru's POV

The music died down and then Dad's voice came in through the mic he was talking through, "Good job, Raiden. That's enough for today. You can go ahead and head home now."

I nodded. The mic went off as he turned to talk to the guy at the soundboard as I took off the headphones and and walked out of the recording room. I said bye to Dad and walked out of the room. After highschool, I got an apartment for myself. Dad thought it was a good idea. But thing is...Whenever I wake up in the morning, I'd see Akane next to me like the day I woke up to her at Ikuto's house...five years ago.

I was now standing in front of the elevators, waiting for it to come up. As I waited, I hummed my new song to myself. The elevator dinged as the doors opened and when it did, my breath got caught in my chest. I saw silver hair and I thought _Kasumi...Akane's here?_ but as the doors widen, it turned out to be Aoi as Amaterasu, or as we call her, Ama. Whenever she comes to the company, she dresses as Kasumi's sister so that reporters don't catch their real identity.

"Hi, Raiden," she smiled.

"Hi, Ama. What are you doing here?"

"I was coming to get you. I called earlier but Takahasi-oji said you were recording so I came to watch but here you are."

"Well, here I am."

"Yeah. I was wondering if you'd like to go to the the bakery with me. Daigo has training this morning and I didn't want to eat breakfast alone."

"Oh. Sure. I'll go," I said, ruffling her wig.

"Hey! Do you know how long it took me to fix this wig the last time you did that?" she pouted.

I laughed at her as the elevator closed and we went down to the lobby.

* * *

"Ohiyao! Oh, Haru, Aoi."

"You sound disappointed to see us," I chuckled as Rima placed a fresh batch of cookies on the desplay case.

"Nope, just you," she stuck her tongue out.

"Where's Nagihiko, Amu, and Lulu?" Aoi asked.

"In the back working on the rest of the stuff for today."

"Can I go help?"

"Sure."

Aoi went into the back leaving Rima and I alone in the store. I was going to start up a conversation when there was squealing in the back.

"The hell is that?" I asked, sitting at the table close to the counter.

"Aoi must of found out about Amu."

"What? She's pregnant?" I smirked.

"Shut up! and no. Ikuto proposed to her yesterday," she smiled.

"Really? Good for them. Its about time. Ikuto's not getting any younger."

Rima giggled and nodded as she went to turn the sign to open. Aoi and I were able to walk in because she leaves the door open for us to walk in before they really opened.

Eventually, the others walked out from the back and people started showing up. Aoi and I ordered some muffins and glasses of milk for breakfast. Amu had some time to show me the ring and everything. It was some rock. I congratualted her and then she went back to work. Business was big today since it was weekend and the store opened early. On weekdays, the store would be open for only a few hours since Rima and Amu get out of school around 3 then they have to go home and do homework so they open around 4 and close at 7. But weekends, they open from 11 in the morning to 7 in the evening. Everyone in town knows about this place. It quickly became famous when Rima's parents opened it for her.

I was talking with Lulu on her break with Aoi when Daigo walked in with his gear bag.

"Hey, minna," he smiled at us.

He's grown alot in the pass five years. He's gotten a lot taller, just a few inches shorter than his sister. His blue hair was no longer a sky blue but an average blue color. He was thin but not unhealthy thin, but thin built from working at the dojo. Resting on his shoulder was Yuichi, his chara. Yuichi had blue hair but green streaks, almost like a repesentation of Daigo's sisters. He had a small ponytail and wore a karate uniform but with paint splatter on it. Daigo loved the dojo but he also likes to paint. I give him some few pointers here and there since I do have a gallery.

He sat down and we talked for a while until Lulu went back to work. I made him order something and then paid for it. The rest of the day just flew by just sitting in the bakery.

* * *

Tadase came and picked up Lulu after she was done with her shift. Ikuto picked up Amu as well. Daigo and Aoi went home hours ago. And I decided to help out with the store since more people were comin in and it was only Rima and Nagihiko.

I was in the back kneeding some dough for bread while Nagihiko worked on a cake that was ordered. This isn't the first time I've done this. Whenever they're short of hands, one of us will help out if we're in the store and I've been the one many times.

"So...Has Aoi gotten any word about when Akane's getting back?"

"I don't think so. She would've mentioned it if she had," I shook my head.

"That's too bad."

"Yeah..."

After finishing everything and people already gone, Rima closed the store and we cleaned everything up then headed home.

"See you guys."

"See ya, Haru." The waved bye and then walked towards Rima's apartment while I walked to mine.

On my way there, I always pass the house Akane lived in when they moved her to Osaka with that witch Kurosawa. It's still empty. Some of the money Akane makes pays for the house so that when she gets back, she can live in it with Aoi and Daigo. Whenever I'd pass by, I'd stop and watch the house. I dont know why but I hope that Akane would be in there but she never was. But tonight...the lights were on inside. _It couldn't be._

I walked up to the house and turned the knob of the front door. It was open. It was suppose to be locked. I walked in quietly hoping whoever was in here, wouldn't hear me. As I walked through the living room, I realized something. This place is suppose to be dusty from five years of no use. No one's stepped a foot in here. But everything's clean and I could smell air freshener. The kitchen lights were out but when I walked in, it was obvious that the stove was used not that long ago. Then, I hear footsteps upstairs. I quietly went up the stairs and saw that all the rooms were closed except for one. The door was opened slightly, letting the light from the room light the hall way. I walked up to the door and pushed it open.

The person jumped in surprise and I stared in shock.

"Akane..."

"H-Haru."

I looked her over. In the past five years, she grew out her hair again. Her grass green hair now reached down her back just like before Kara cut it years ago. Her eyes were still gray from when she was blinded after the Stones. She's gotten a bit taller and her bodies become more femine. She was wearing blue skinny jeans and a gray v-neck t-shirt. It was casual and she had a black sweater on. She was about to go out.

"You're back." She didn't say anything. She continued to stare at me with her gray eyes.

"You never wrote back."

"Aka-"

"Three years...I waited for a letter from _someone_. But nothing."

"Akane. Your letters were lost in the mail for three years. Aoi only got your letters just yesterday. We've tried writing to you but the letters would come right back to us." I walked up to her and tried to hold her but she looked away and pushed me away. "Aka."

"Haru...I feel so worthless," she hugged herself.

I stepped closer to her and wrapped my arms around her. I hid my face in the crook of her neck, "You're not worthless. It's okay if you didn't find them. Aoi and Daigo will understand."

"N-No. You don't get it." She pulled away enough that we were face to face, "I did find them."

"What?"

"I found them...But they didn't want to come back. I spent about two years with The Stones torture and five years searching for them just for them to tell me, they're not coming back to Japan."

* * *

**There you have it. **

**R&R plz**


	4. Engagment Party

****

**I want to thank MegumiiiChannn for the 5,000,000 cookies from the last chapter lol XD**

**I don't own Shugo Chara**

* * *

Haru held Akane close as she cried on his shoulder. After three years of holding everything in while away on her tour, she just needed to let everything out. He sat them down on the bed and stroked Akane's back to comfort her. He still wasn't sure what she meant by 'they're not coming back to Japan' but he knew he'd find out soon, after she was done crying.

Eventually, Akane had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Haru chuckled and then laid her back on the bed to sleep more comfortably. He had no intention of leaving her. Not after being away from her for five years. He laid next to her, proped up on his elbow, watching her sleep. Her face was stained from the tears but she slept peacefully anyways. This is was the first time Akane was able to actually sleep in so long.

Feeling sleep starting to take over him, Haru got up and turned off all the lights in the house and locked the house before crawling back into Akane's bed and fell asleep with Akane curling up next to him.

* * *

Today, Rima kept the bakery closed the whole day since she wasn't in the mood to be working. Instead, she stayed with Nagihiko at his house since she was bored in her apartment. She liked being over his house because something interseting always happens since his mom is crazy. She giggled to herself causing Nagihiko to look up from his textbook and turn in his chair and look at her giggling on his bed.

"What's so funny?"

She shook her head, "Nothing. Just thinking."

"Of?"

"How crazy your mom is."

Nagihiko chuckled and nodded, "You're right. That is funny."

"So, what you working on?"

"Math homework. Not fun."

"Let me see." Nagihiko held his arms out to her and Rima walked over to him and lap on his lap. Nagihiko wrapped his arms around her waist and turned to the desk letting Rima read the problem. "This is easy."

"I know it is. My professor's a piece of pop-tart."

Rima laughed at Nagihiko's joke and soon Nagihiko started laughing with her. When they finished laughing, Rima pressed her lips to his and then smiled when she pulled away, "I'm glad you're funny cause then I'd never be with you."

"Glad to know."

Rima's phone went off and she reached into her pocket to pick up.

"Mushi Mushi?"

"Rima!"

"Hey, Amu."

"Hey. Listen, Aruto-oji made reservations at **** for us to celebrate our engagment and everyone's invited. He's inviting Nagihiko's mom and your parents."

"Oh? That's really nice of him. I'll call my parents and tell them. What time do we have to be there?"

"8."

"Alright. See you then."

"Okay. Bye."

"What did Amu say?" Nagihiko asked as Rima put away her phone.

"We're going out for dinner. Ikuto's dad got us **** to celebrate Amu's engagment. He's inviting your mom and my parents."

"Sounds fun." He looked at his watch, "We should start getting ready. It's 6:30 and you take forever to get ready."

"Hey!...Okay, maybe your right. Go tell your mom and I'll call my parents."

"Then I'll walk you to your apartment."

"No it's fine. I have a dress here."

"Oh, okay."

Rima got off his lap but Nagihiko pulled her back, "Where are you going? Why not change in here?"

"Perv! Stop hanging out with Ikuto!" she blushed and ran out of his room with Nagihiko laughing like crazy.

* * *

Tadase stood infront of the mirror trying to fix his tie but having difficulty. He hadn't used a tie in some time and usually if he had, they'd be clip on but Lulu wanted him to wearing the tie. Lulu came down the stairs, dressed in a aqua dress that went well with her eyes. She saw Tadase having trouble with his tie and smiled at him from the stairs. Tadase saw her through the reflection and turned around.

"You look beautiful."

Lulu blushed but smiled lovingly at him. She never thought she'd be with Tadase. Even when she met him years ago. She walked down the stairs and walked up to him and started to help him with the tie, "I figured you'd know how to tie a tie."

"I do...Well, I did," he said rubbing his head nervously.

Lulu giggled and finished tying the tie and then looked up into Tadase's pink eyes. She leaned in and kissed him but it only made how she was feeling worse.

When they pulled away, Tadase cupped her cheek and looked at her blue eyes, searching. "Something's wrong," he stated.

"N-nothing's wrong."

"Lulu..."

She averted her gave until her eyes landed on Tadase's watch, "We have to get going. We're going to be late."

Lulu went and grabbed their coats while Tadase watched her fearing whatever it was she was hiding from him.

* * *

Two by two, the gang started walking into the restaurant, dressed nicely. The first ones there were Utau and Kukai. Utau was excited now that Amu was going to be her sister. Well, legally but it felt the same to her. After them, Tadase's parents came. Being close friends to the Tsukiyomi's, Ikuto was also like a son to them (after a apologizing for the years when he was neglected as a child) so they were excited about his engagment.

Then, Amu's family

Tadase and Lulu.

Nagihiko, Rima, and Mrs. Fujisaki.

Rima's parents.

And other guests that Aruto had invited.

Amu had invited Yaya and Kairi but they couldn't make it. Yaya had a recital and Kairi was helping with the audio. Now, they were just waiting for Haru, Daiki, Aoi, and Daigo to show up.

Everyone was mingling and drinking out of champagne flutes except for Mrs. Fujisaki. Aruto made sure she didn't have _any_ alcohol what so ever, much to Annaki's displeasure.

Soon, Daiki walked in with Daigo and Aoi at his side. They went up to Ikuto and Amu and congratulated them but then Ikuto asked, "Where's Haru?"

Their faces lite up and Daiki said, "They're on their way here."

"They?"

And true to his word, Haru walked in with-to everyone's surprise-Akane.

They all went and crowded around them as the girls took turns hugging her.

"When did you get back?" Amu asked.

"Yesterday night."

"And you didn't call us or anything saying your here!" Utau shouted.

"Its a long story. I was going to see you guys today but I got caught up all day at Daiki's and then Ikuto called Haru and I thought I'd surprise you all."

"We'll, we're surprised," Rima said.

The rest of the night went well. Everyone danced and had fun. They took pictures of the soon-to-bes and then sat down to eat. Once everyone was served, Aruto tapped his glass lightly, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Tonight, we celebrate the engagment of my son to the beautiful Amu Hinamori." Everyone clapped as Ikuto and Amu raised their glasses. "And not only that, the return of one of their dear friends, Akane Hanaki. I'd like to give a toast to wish my son and my soon-to-be daughter-in-law a happy life together. Cheers."

"Cheers."

Ikuto clipped glasses with Amu and then they shared a kiss.

It was pleasant. Akane was able to forget about her parents for a night. Tadase managed to enjoy himself with Lulu for the night. Ikuto and Amu were happy celebrating themselves. Aoi and Daigo were happy to see their sister again. Everything was at ease...for now.

* * *

**It's a little short and not much happened but I'm saving tha for the next chapter ;D**

**R&R plz**


	5. Everything starts Here

The night ended and some of our gang were just a little buzzed from too much champagne. That includes Lulu. Tadase drove them home and helped his giggling girlfriend into her house. Tadase has his own apartment but he spends most of his days and nights at Lulu's house.

As Tadase searched his pockets for the house keys, Lulu leaned against him giggling like a little school girl. Lulu, being french and coming from a wealthy family, she's use to holding down her alcohol or in this case, champage, and Tadase knew that but he noticed how tonight, she had more than she can handle. Which only worries him more about what could possibly be bothering Lulu.

His thoughts were broken when the door opened and he led Lulu inside and the first thing that happened was that Lulu threw her coat and shoes off and grabbed Tadase's hands and pulled him close. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercly. His thoughts became dazed as his eyes slowly closed to kiss her back but then he quickly pushed her away. She stood there staring at him until she hid her eyes behind her bangs.

"Lulu...Something's going on and your not telling me." He waited for her to say something but she just continued to stand there but he noticed how she was trembling. He stepped up to her and lifted her chin to make her look at him. Tears were in her eyes which only made Tadase's heart break. "Lulu."

"I'm leaving."

"What?"

"My parents want me back in Paris...For good"

"But...Why? You always visit them and they know that you're doing fine here in Japan."

"I know but...they won't tell me why. Tadase, I don't want to leave you," she shook her head, burying her face in his shirt.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, not wanting to let go. "Tell you what we're going to do. Tomorrow, we'll call your parents and ask them why and if they wont tell us, I'll go with you to France to find out."

"You'd do that?"

"Of course. I'd do anything for the girl I love."

Lulu smiled through the tears and kissed him. He kissed back and when they pulled away for air, he picked her up bridal style and carried her up to their room.

* * *

"I can still drive."

"Like hell you're gonna drive. You're buzzed from all that champagne, Daiki."

"Hey, who's the one passed out in the passager seat of your car?"

"Akane can't hold down her liquior. Even the softest of them all," Haru chuckled.

Haru, having sworn that he would never go back to drinking or taking drugs, was trying to get Daiki into the passanger seat of his car so that Aoi could drive them back to his apartment. But he was being stubborn.

Aoi was old enough and had her licesence and she wasn't interseting in drinking after everything that Haru went through. She got into the driver's seat of Daiki's car and started the car. She rolled the window down and looked at Haru.

"I'll take her home. Then tomorrow, we'll get you guys settled back in the house."

"And then...she'll tell us about our parents?"

Haru looked over his shoulder at his car where Akane was sleeping in the passanger seat. He turned back to Aoi and nodded, "Yeah. She'll tell you tomorrow."

* * *

The next day, Amu woke up with a slight head ache and warm radianting from under her. When she looked down, she say a shirtless Ikuto sleeping peacefully on his back. She turned red when she realized that neither of them were dressed with only the sheets covering them. She remembered the events from last night and looked at her left hand to see the ring that she can't stop looking at. She smiled and then look at Ikuto and leaned down and kissed him gently so he wouldn't wake up.

She remembered the morning after his graduation party how she woke up screaming, surprised that she woke up next to him. Sure, then, they didn't go as far as they did last night but back then, she was easly flusttered by him. But now, she's more comfortable. Not to mention, soon, she'll be waking up to him everyday.

She was sitting up, fantasising their lives together. _I wonder if he'll want kids_... The thought made her blush fiercly as she pictured two small children holding hands that looked like Ikuto and herself.

"Amu?"

Ikuto rubbed his eyes and looked at Amu's red face.

"I-Ikuto."

"Something wrong?" he asked, sitting up and placing a strand of her hair behind her hair.

"N-no. Course not. I was just thinking."

"About last night?" he smirked, nuzzling into her neck and kissing it.

"N-not really," she shivered under his kisses. "I was thinking..." Amu turned to face Ikuto, but her eyes drifted to her hands fiddling with the sheets. Ikuto raised an eyebrow at her behavior but waited. "Do you...by any chance, want kids?"

Ikuto blinked a few times, letting the question sink in as Amu's face turned pinker with the passing seconds. "Do I want kids?"

"Mhm..."

"You know, I've never really thought of it but, maybe I do." His thoughts wandered to two children that looked like Amu and himself. He thought about how he can teach his kids the violin and care for them and give them the childhood he didnt really have. "Yeah, I think I do want kids. Do you?"

"Y-yeah."

"Then, its settled, we'll have a family," Ikuto smiled and kissed Amu.

She giggled into the kiss and then pulled away before Ikuto got carried away. She got out of bed and grabbed some close from the drawers and got dressed and so did Ikuto. They walked down out to the kitchen of Ikuto's apartment and Amu got started on making breakfast. She searched in the fridge and Ikuto watched her from the island. As she tied her hair back started mixing things together and smiling as she cooked the food over the stove, Ikuto's mind started to wander to Amu's question.

He blinked and then he saw Amu smiling brightly, with her hand placed on her enlarged stomach, as she feed a small boy with blue hair and yellow eyes that sat on the counter, smiling happily as he enjoyed Amu's cooking.

"Ikuto," she turned and smiled at him. "Ikuto." Suddenly, he was being shook and his eyes shot open to meet Amu's concern honey eyes. "Ikuto, are you feeling okay?"

"Hm...Uh, yeah. Just, resting my eyes."

"O-kaay."

She turned back to the food and Ikuto eyed her, and for a second, his fantasy flashed across his eyes and he couldn't help but smile.

_Yeah, I'm defiantly having kids._

~That Afternoon~

Driving down the street, Kukai found a parking spot behind Ikuto's car and then cut the engine. He turned to Utau, who was taking off her seatbelt.

"So..."

"You know Ikuto's going to _freak_."

"Yeah... Which is why I'll be standing by the door the entire time."

Utau giggled, shaking her head, and then leaned over to kiss Kukai.

They got out of the car and walked up to Akane's front door and ringed the doorbell. Before the bell rang twice, the door opened and Nagihiko stood there with a drink in his hand, "Ah, hey you guys. A little late."

"Sorry. We had to stop by Sanjou's for a minute."

Nagihiko shrugged and let them in where everyone but Yaya and Kairi were sitting comfortably in Akane's home.

"Okay, I want to know everything that's happened to all of you. I've missed so much over the pass three years," Akane said standing to Haru. "And we're starting with the happy couple."

The next hour or so, everyone filled Akane in on their lives while she was away. Ikuto was a profesional violinist. Amu was still figuring out who she wants to be. Rima opened up her bakery but is still working on becoming a comedian. Nagihiko still dancing for his family but playing basketball for himself. Tadase is going to inherit the school and be a great principal. Lulu is trying everything like before. Kukai is trying to get on a major team. Utau is getting big in her music and even had a tour the three years Akane 'disappeared'. Haru opened an art gallery with the money got as Raiden who is third on the charts after Utau and Kasumi. Aoi is extremely well in school but is still figuring out a dream like Amu. Daigo is enjoying school and making lots of friends as the top instructor at the dojo.

"I'm happy for all of you," Akane smiled. Her eyes landed on Kukai and Utau and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at them. They were unusually quiet and Kukai's constantly looking at the door. "Something wrong you two?"

"Well, nothing's really _wrong_," Kukai said nervously.

"Just a little announcment is all," Utau blushed.

"Oh? What is it?" Ikuto immediatly jumped in.

"The thing is...Kukai and I are engaged and I'm pregant."

Everyone stared at the two of them. Ikuto, passed out on the floor. Utau and Kukai were becoming very uncomfortable under their stares until Amu glomped Utau.

"Oh, my god! Congratulations you guys!"

One by one, the others broke out of their shock and congratulated them on the happy news. But then Ikuto woke up.

"Does Mom and Dad know?" he glared at Kukai.

"Course they know," Utau said pulling Ikuto away from fiancee, "And will you relax."

"No. He got you pregnant before marriage."

"Who knew Ikuto had values?" Ikuto heard Nagihiko whisper to Haru.

"I heard that!"

"Ikuto, listen," Kukai grabbed Ikuto's shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes, "I proposed to Utau _before_ she told me she was pregnant."

"Hm...Fine."

Ikuto made his way back to Amu, still brooding. Amu laughed at his behavior and petted his head.

After everyone started to calm down, Aoi spoke up.

"Uhm...Akane-nee, I think we've waited long enough...You didn't find Mama and Papa, did you?"

All eyes were on Akane as she stared at her younger siblings with a face of stone. Haru took hold of Akane's hand and intertwined their fingers.

Akane shook her head, "I did find them."

"What?"

"You did?"

"Then where are they?"

"...Mama and Papa...They don't want to come back to Japan."

_Flashback_

_Akane was walking around the town, her shoulder green hair tied back in a ponytail to help cool herself in the heat of New Jersey. Its been about five years since she left Japan and she was running out of time. She even called up Aruto to tell him to cut the rest of the concerts so she can have more time and he obliged. _

_It was a small town with not much to do but she found a liking to it. Although it was small, lots of teenagers were walking around hanging out with their friends. As a group passed by, she couldn't help but feel lonely. She missed her friends. And with each passing day, the more she became depressed. She was started to think to give up the search and head back home. Her heart can't handle being away from them anymore. But her thoughts went back to the egg in her pocket. Lila had gone back into her heart after she published her first book...But Yuka only went back into her egg when she started the search. _

_Yuka was her fighting spirit. To keep fighting against everything bad. Her sadness and the want to give up against The Stones. And the fighting spirit that wants to find her parents. That's why she hasn't gone back into her heart yet._

_"_Hey! Watch out_!"_

_Akane looked up suddenly to see a car only inches from her. The driver didn't seem happy at all. _Those are Americans for you_, she thought as she ran to the other side of the street and watched the cars pass. She sighed and continued walking down the sidewalk until she made it to a Quick Check. She went in to buy a bottle of water and she realized she didn't have any cash on her. _

_She shook her head but then found an ATM. She walked down the aisle to use it but a man was already using it so she waited. She kept her distance so that the person didn't think she was trying to see the code or anything, identity theif was a big crime in America._

_She heard the machine give him the money and then got up from leaning against the sodas to take her turn. But when the made turned around, they both froze._

_His was a tall man, with a dark skin tone from being under the sun a lot. His hair was a dull blue from age but his eyes were bright as ever. "Just like Daigo," she accidently said outloud in Japanese._

_But the man didn't hear, instead he went on and said, _"Excuse me but, can I ask you a question?"

"Uh...Okay."

"You're not from around here, are you?"

"No. I'm from Japan."

"I was from Japan,_" he smiled. He held his hand out, "I'm Hanaki Akiyama."_

_"A-Akiyama? You're Hanaki Akiyama?" Akane's heart was beating fast against her chest as she stared up at the man._

_"Yes. Do I know you?"_

_"Papa...It's me. Akane." she said tears in her eyes._

_The man's eyes widen in shock as he looked over the girl in front of him. "Oh my god...Akane? Is that really you?" he asked, his voice breaking._

_"Yes, Papa, it's really me."_

_He stepped up to her hugged her. She hugged him back tighter. Its been so long since she hugged her father and it made her heart hurt so much when the hugs felt the same from when she was still a little girl. She started to cry hysterically into his chest and by the way his breathing was broken and the beating of his heart, she knew he was crying too._

_"Come on, we have to tell Mama."_

_"Mama's with you?" she said wiping her tears._

_"She's in the car."_

_Akane grabbed her father's hand and pulled them out of the store and into the parking lot. There, her father led her to a blue nissan. As they got closer, the passanger door opened and a short woman with thick shoulder length green hair and emerald eyes stepped out. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging out like she wanted to say something._

_"Mama, you won't believe who this is," her father said._

_"Is she..."_

_"It's me, Mama. Akane."_

_"Akane," she gasped. "Akane." Her mother started to tear up as she opened her arms and walked up to the girl. The two hugged and cried just like Akane did in the store with her father. She had found her parents._

_End of Flashback_

"They sounded so happy to see you," Amu said.

"They were. We were all soo happy. We cried that entire day."

"So what happened next?" Tadase asked.

"I stayed with them for about a week. I just wanted to be with them. I talked to them about Aoi and Daigo. They loved hearing things about them. I even showed them pictures. I told them about all of you. It was the night I told them about the Stones, that I found out they weren't coming back.

_Flashback_

_"After they took you away and gave us Kurosawa, they made us move to Osaka. Closer to the base. There, everything intesified. They over worked me pass my limit that i passed out during school. I had to lie to my friends because I was Kasumi and they were the enemy. The Guardians were a threat to the company. So, they would inject me with this sirum that would make be so insanly angry when I'd see them that I'd try and kill them. But they still found me. I did so much horrible things to them but they still accepted me when they found out I was Kasumi. And they helped free me. But I was in terrible condition. I was stuck in a coma for a week and when I woke up I was blind which is why my eyes arent green anymore. But I got my sight back and then I came looking for you. I used the tour as a way to find you."_

_"I can't believe all of that happened," her mother said, sitting next to her and running her hand through her hair. "I'm so sorry that we got you involved with that company."_

_"It's not your fault. You didn't know what they were really like. And besides, everythings better now. I found you. Now, you can come back to Japan with me and we can be a family again." __Akane looked between her father and her mother but her smile slowly fell as she saw how they were looking at the floor. "What is it?"_

_"Akane, we're not going back to Japan."_

_Akane's eyes widen and she felt like she was just runned over by that car a week ago. "W-Why not? Don't you want to see Aoi and Daigo?"_

_"We do. So much. But we're not going back Japan. We have a life here. In New Jersey."_

_She gave a surprised chuckle and stood up. She ran her hand through her hair and paced around, "S-So let me get this straight. I went through _hell _working for the Stones, taking care of Aoi and Daigo, _Going Blind!_ being away from my friends and the man I love for _five_ years just to find you and tell me that you're not going to Japan because you have a life here in New Jersey?"_

_"Akane-" her father reached out to her but she stepped back. "Akane, we're sorry but we're not going back. Everything will be okay if you go back without us."_

_"No...No, everything will _not _be okay."_

_She pushed pass them as they got up to reason with her but she stomped out of the house and pulled out her cellphone. "Yeah. Pick me up. The library. Now."_

_End of Flashback_

"After that, I stayed in my hotel room. I didn't come out of anything. My manger tried to get me out but I wouldnt. She even called a doctor to look at me and then diagnoised me as depressed. I didn't say anything to him. And after the third session, I told my manger I'm going back to Japan. And that's when i wrote the letter that I was coming back."

The room was quiet...No one really knew what to say after a story like that. But Aoi did.

"So...they're really not coming home..."

"I'm sorry."

Aoi and Daigo shook their heads and he said, "It's not your fault."

"Hm..."

After that, they tried making up any conversation to help Akane cheer up. But no matter what it was, her smile was only half genuine.

Some hours later, Tadase and Lulu got up.

"You guys are leaving?" Rima asked.

"Yeah. Lulu, I'll meet you in the car."

"Okay."

Tadase handed her the keys and then she walked out. He sighed and turned to his friends, "Lulu's parents want her to go back to France to stay with them." All the girls started to talk at the same time about how they dont want her to leave while the guys tried calming them down. "Neither do I. That's why we're going back home to call her parents about why. If they dont tell us, we're going to France to find out."

"Yeah! Fight for your woman!" Haru cheered causing everyone to laugh.

"Thanks. I will."

"Don't worry, Tadase-kun. Everything will be okay. We're here to support you," Amu smiled.

"Arigatou, Amu-chan."

He said his byes and then turned and walked out the door. Soon after, people started to leave. Amu and Ikuto went after Tadase and Lulu left. Then Utau and Kukai. Then Nagihiko and Rima.

"Stop by the bakery anytime, Akane," Rima said at the door.

"Sure thing."

The door shut behind her and Nagihiko leaving Akane, Haru, Aoi, and Daigo alone. Akane sighed and then turned to Aoi and Daigo, "Well, lets pick up these cups and then, I'm going to bed."

They all got up and helped take the cups to the trash. Everything picked up, the three of them watched as Akane walked upstairs.

"I'll go check on her," Haru said and then walked upstairs. He walked down the hall and up to Akane's room. He knocked on the door, "Akane? Can I come in?" He didn't get an answer so he opened the door and saw Akane changing out of her clothes and into her pajamas. It didn't faze him that she was standing there in her bra and panties. What bothered him was the dead look she was giving him. She went back to pulling the shirt over her head and pulling her pants up as Haru waited for her to say something but she never did. "You're not yourself."

"Oh?" was all she said as she sat on her bed.

"You've gone through a lot and you never gave up. And now...you are? Is there something I should know about?"

Akane sat with her knees brought up to her chest, resting her chin on her knees with her eyes closed. Haru sat next to her and placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. He kissed her head and then whispered to her, "I'm always here. Everything will be okay."

Her eyes opened only slightly as a responce. He got up to leave but he stopped when he left her hand grip onto his. He looked back and waited.

"Dont go...Stay the night with me please."

He turned his hand in hers and fitted his fingers between hers and nodded. Akane sat watching him take off his shoes, socks, belt and shirt. They pulled the covers over them and Akane curled up against Haru like the night before. As her eyes started to fall, heavy with sleep, he whispered to her, "I'll stay with you...Just like you stayed with me."

~Fujisaki Mansion~

"Put me down!"

"Nope~"

"Nagihiko Fujisaki! Put me down this minute before I yank each and every one of your purple hairs out!"

"You wouldn't do that. You like my hair. Especially-"

"I said to never speak of it!"

Nagihiko laughed the entire way up the stairs with Rima over her shoulder. She stopped fighting against him and let him carry her up to his room. Inside, he placed her down on the bed and then hovered over her. He nuzzled under her chin and said, "So, what do you want to do tonight?"

"You need to stop hanging out with Ikuto," she laughed, pushing him off.

He rolled onto his back chuckling. Rima watched him and her smile slowly fell of her face. Nagihiko saw this and stopped laughing and asked, "What's wrong?"

"What? Nothing's wrong," she said with a straight face but Nagihiko knew better.

"Rima, I can tell when you're lying."

"Fine. But I'm telling you."

She looked away and pouted. Nagihiko sat up and ducked his head to see Rima's pouty face.

He knew what was bothering her. To him, Rima's an open book.

"Come on. I want to show you something."

"Uh...okay?"

Nagihiko took her hand and led her out of the room and down many halls Rima's never been down. She hasn't gone anywhere past the east wing. Finally, they stood at a door. She saw Nagihiko flip a switch by the door and then turn to her. "Close your eyes." She closed them but peeked alittle. "No peeking."

She closed her eyes tight and then felt his hands on her shoulders guiding her. They stopped not far out and then Nagihiko leaned into her ear, "Okay. you can open them now."

When she opened her eyes, she came upon a beautiful garden. Flowers everywhere and a small pound, iluminated by paper lanterns

"They're so pretty," she said, gently touching the petal of a tiger lily.

"But you're beautiful."

Rima blushed and suddenly felt foolish. She was upset that her friends were each getting engaged but she's still waiting for Nagihiko to propose. But now she realizes that Nagihiko takes his time. He's like a flower in this garden. It takes time for it to bloom. He takes his time. And so does she.

Nagihiko stepped up to her and tilted her chin up and kissed her gently on the lips but they soon interrupted by the door suddenly bursting open. There, a woman around their age with shoulder length lavender hair with brown eyes and wearing and english outfit, ran up to them and pulled them apart and clung to Nagihiko.

"What the hell?"

"Just who do you think you are! Kissing MY Nagi!" the girl cried, hugging Nagihiko tighter.

"YOUR Nagi? He's My Nagi! I'm his girlfriend. Who the hell are you?"

"I'm his fiancee!"

Rima was completely taken aback. She looked at Nagihiko for an answer but he was staring in shock at the girl. When his eyes finally met her's, he looked away, hiding his eyes behind his bangs. "No..."

"Nagihiko! She's back! Get Rima and-Oh." Nagihiko's mother stood at the door panting. She stared sympatheticly at Rima before walking away.

Rima looked back at the two purple heads and felt tears brun her eyes. She spun around and stomped into the house with Nagihiko calling her name.

* * *

**Tehehe ;D The start of problems. Hope you liked it**

**R&R plz**


	6. Reasons with a hint of Advice

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**I'm glad everyone liked the last chapter ;D I'm updating so that I can get my chocolate dougnut from Half Angel Half Evil, my cookies and brownies from KonekoNeko, and I don't want Shugo Chara Neko D getting a murder on me lol**

**I don't own Shugo Chara.**

* * *

Lulu woke up to the light coming in through the white curtains in her room. She took in a deep breath and stretched alittle in bed. She turned over and met Tadase's sleeping face. He was sound asleep, his breathing even and Lulu couldn't help but feel a little bad. It was kind of her fault that Tadase was up all night. He stayed up talking to her parents, trying to pray it out of them why she had to go home but they didn't crack so after he hung up with them, he called the airport to get tickets to France.

She waited in bed for him. By the time he crawled into bed, it was one in the morning.

She glanced over her shoulder at the clock and realized she had to get to work soon or Rima will have her head. Carefully, Lulu got out of bed and got dressed for work. She leaned over Tadase's sleeping body and kissed his cheek before going downstairs. She made a quick breakfast and put Tadase's in the microwave, left a note for him, and them headed out to the bakery.

When she got there, she was in complete shock. There was a crowd of people surrounding the bakery and she could hear shouting from two very familar voices. She pushed pass the crowd and stumbled onto the scene. Rima was inside the bakery looking _far from pissed off_ as she shouted Nagihiko through the door. But unlike Rima, Nagihiko looked like he was going to die any minute. He looked miserable. Standing next to Rima was Amu and Ikuto while Utau, Kukai, and Haru were outside with Nagihiko.

"Let me explain!"

"What's there to explain you fuckin' cheater! I can't_ believe _you!" she screamed through the door and then turned around and ran upstairs. Nagihiko leaned against the window of the bakery and sank to the floor while Utau and Kukai took charge.

"Alright folks! Nothing to see here!"

"Get a move on. You wanna watch something like this? Try the tv."

"We said get dammit!"

Soon, the crowd was decreasing. Lulu walked up to Utau and asked, "What's going on?"

"Poor Rima. Apparently, Nagihiko's engaged."

"Wha'!"

Amu unlocked the door to the bakery and walked out with Ikuto. They all surrounded Nagihiko who had his head in his hands as he continued to sit on the ground.

"Who knew the sensitive, gentleman, Nagihiko would cheat on the Shrimp," Ikuto shook his head. Amu jagged him harshly in the ribs causing him to double over in pain.

Nagihiko slowly lifted his head up from his hands and looked up at his friends, especially Ikuto. "Cheat? You think I _cheated_ on Rima? Why. In the world. Would _I_ do that! Rima is my life! But she won't give me a chance to explain to her what's going on!"

"Calm down, Nagihiko. Shouting at us won't help," Amu crossed her arms.

"I know. I'm sorry. Its just...she didnt give me a chance to explain anything to her when she found out. Hell, I didn't have enough time to regester what was happening."

"So, you didn't know you were engaged?" Kukai asked.

"Well..."

"You knew and you still dated Rima!" Amu snapped.

"Will you just hear me out!" he snapped back, being fustrated as he was.

"Fine."

_Flashback_

_Nagihiko stood shocked with the lavender hair woman clinging to him. But slowly, the woman's face regestired in his mind. _Oh god no_. He looked over at Rima who happened to be looking at him for an naswer. He couldn't answer. It was true what the woman said but he wished it wasn't._

_"No..."_

_"Nagihiko! She's back! Get Rima and-Oh." He saw his mother at the door and wished again that she had come sooner._

_Rima suddenly turned on her heels and walked out of the garden._

_"Rima! Rima!" But she was gone. He turned his gaze down to the woman, glaring strongly at her._

_"Good riddeness," she said._

_"What are you doing here?" Nagihiko said through his teeth._

_"What else besides coming to clam my husband."_

_He pushed her aside and ran after Rima. He found her walking down one of the halls that they walked down on their way to the garden. "Rima!" He noticed how her body stiffened before she broke out into a run. He ran after her but then got caught with a door between them. She ran into her room and shut the door quickly in his face. She knew she couldn't run from him forever. "Rima please! Open the door!"_

_"Go to hell!"_

_"Rima! Please! It's not what it looks like!"_

_"Really now!" The door slide open quickly and Nagihiko took a step back at how Rima's anger was raidating off her. "So she's just some random person that thinks she's your fiancee?"_

_"Well, she's not random-"_

_"You're not helping yourself, Fujisaki!"_

_"Ri-" She slammed the door in his face and held it shut. He tried opening it but she was surprised by her sudden strength. Eventually, although he didn't want too, he gave up. He dragged himself to his room and as he was sliding his door open, he heard _her_ voice._

_"Nagihiko! Are you going to be already? But I just got here."_

_He stood there glaring at her before stepping into his room and shutting his door with a hard slam that shook the hall._

_End of Flashback_

"Okay...Now, I'm confused," Utau rubbed the bridge of her nose. "You're engaged but you hate the chick."

"Yes."

"And Rima won't give you the time to explain what's going on."

"Yes."

"Well, we're going to make her listen." They all looked up at the new voice to see Nagihiko's mother. She was wearing her usual kimono and her strict face. She stepped up the bakery door and walked in. Nagihiko quickly got up and followed her with everyone else trailing behind. She walked up stairs to the lounge where they found Rima curled up in a ball on the couch. "Rima-chan."

She looked up and her eyes widen in shock when she say Mrs. Fujisaki. "What-What are you doing here?"

"To clear things up." She walked calmly over to the petite girl and then dropped onto her knees and started crying on her lap, "And I don't want you to leave my son! Please! I like you a lot and theres no one else in this world I would my son with besides you!"

"Mother!"

Nagihiko and Rima's face were beat red while the others laughed at them. When their eyes met, Rima quickly looked away.

"Rima, listen to me." Everyone was alittle shocked by how Mrs. Fujisaki switched personalities in just a matter of seconds. She stood up and sat down next to Rima, "All of this is my fault. That woman you saw yesterday is Nagihiko's cousin three times removed. Her name is Aiko. When Nagihiko was around five, there was a large reunion in our family. There, Aiko's parents came to me asking for a betroval. Back then, Nagihiko was only Nadeshiko and I never imagined his secret coming out so I didn't think he would find a wife that would accept our tradition."

"You do realize that your mom had no faith in you about getting a wife, right?" Ikuto asked Nagihiko who was in a corner sulking.

"Nagihiko at first didn't know about the betroval until he got out of highschool and over heard me on the phone. Aiko's parents had called me reminding me about the betroval. I wanted to refuse because he was with you and I really like you and want you as a daughter-in-law but I knew that I made a deal and I couldn't break something like a betroval.

"I explained this to Nagihiko and he got anger at me just like you are with him. Believe me, he wouldn't even talk to me."

"Oh yeah, I remember that," Rima said under her breath.

"But he accepted it and tried finding a way to avoid the betroval. His plan was to propose to you so that when Aiko returned, he wouldnt have to go through with it."

"Yeah, well, I would have already proposed, won your bet, and I wouldn't be in this mess if you would've just not argue with me about whether it would work or not!"

"Nagihiko, I know you're fustrated but yelling at me wont help you."

"I'm sorry."

The room got quiet until Nagihiko's mother stood up and walked over to the stairs. She montioned for Nagihiko to stay while the others come down with her. Nagihiko watched them go down the stairs over his shoulders while Rima watched out of the corner of her eyes. Once they were gone and she quickly looked away as Nagihiko walked over to sit next to her.

"I feel bad that it was my mother who had to explain all of that to you." He looked at her to answer but she continue to stare across the room with her chin resting on her palm. "Rima."

"You could've told me instead of having that girl cling to you like that. You have no idea how I felt."

"You're right. I'm really sorry, Rima." He moved closer to her and gentlly took her free hand in his, "Forgive me?"

She finally looked at him straight in the eyes and he felt her squeeze his hand, "For now but if you ever keep something from me again, I swear to Kami-sama, Fujisaki Nagihiko, you won't have an heir to your family."

He cringed at the threat but smiled at her and kissed her.

* * *

"I don't hear anything," Amu whispered to Utau who was leaning over her trying to hear what was going on upstairs.

"You don't think she killed him do you?"

"Knowing Rima, she's capable of doing that. But no, I dont' think so. She'll regret it in the morning."

"Will you two get away from there? Leave them alone," Ikuto said, pulling them away from the staircase by the back of their shirts.

Amu pouted but then turned to Lulu, "So, Lulu, did you and Tadase find out why your parents are making you go home?"

She shook her head and leaned against the counter, "Tadase stayed up all night on the phone with them and they didn't tell him anything. He was starting to get angry with them. Then he bought us tickets to France. He didn't tell me when."

"I hope it's nothing too serious."

"Me too."

"By the way, Haru, where's Akane?" Kukai asked.

"Home. She didn't want to get out of bed."

"How are Aoi and Daigo taking it?" Amu asked.

"I don't know. They tried talking to her, tried to get her out of bed, but she just hid under the sheets."

"Depressions hard to deal with. Especially since this is caused by her parents," Ikuto said.

"Depression?"

Haru turned to Mrs. Fujisakii and nodded, "Our friend, Akane. She's suffering from depression after she came back from America."

"Its not going to be easy. I went through depression after having Nagihiko but thats what doctors call Baby-Blues but anyways, if she doesn't want to do anything, get her out. Don't let her sink in her depression because that makes things worse but don't push her. She'll get irrated easily and if you push her, she'll snap. She's in a delicate state right now and can easily be broken. Be gentle."

"Thanks for the advice, Mrs. Fujisaki."

"No problem." They heard footsteps coming down the stairs and saw Nagihiko and Rima walking down holding hands. "I see it went well."

Nagihiko nodded, "We're not going to let Aiko get inbetween us."

"That's good to hear. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a large bug in my house and I need to go exterminate it."

"Uh, Mother?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't _kill_ the bug. Just get rid of it."

"I am the head of the house at the moment, I will do whatever I want."

"Mother."

"Oh, fine."

She waved bye and then walked out of the bakery. Then Kukai asked, "She didn't really mean she was going to exterminate your cousin...Did she?"

"If there's one thing I learned about the Fujisaki's," Rima started, "It's _never_ get involved in their business."

"She's right," Nagihiko nodded matter of factly.

* * *

Akane rolled onto her side trying to fall asleep again but it was futil. She's slept a lot so far and her body was starting to feel heavy with the feeling of lazyness. That morning, Haru tried getting her out of bed to go to the bakery but she really wasn't in the mood and she started to get irritated by Haru with his pushiness. The doctors told her that irritation is a sign of depression so she tried her best to keep calm. But all she could do was force herself to stay under the covers before she blew up at Haru.

He soon gave up and kissed her sheet covered head before leaving. After he left, Aoi and Daigo tried talking to her to get out of bed. To out with them. She still wasn't in the mood but she thought that since she hasn't done anything with her siblings over the pass five years, she should trying making up for it. Unfortuantly, as far she got was making them breakfast. She sat at the table staring at the food she made but couldn't find the motivation to eat it. She felt terrible about leaving her siblings to eat alone like that but what else could she do?

She fell back asleep once she got back to her room. When she woke up, she was feeling a little better. Enough to talk to someone but not enough to go out. But there was no one too talk too. While she slept she heard Daigo come in and said good bye because he had class at the dojo. Then Aoi came in sayin she was leaving with her friends.

"What am I going to do?" she asked herself, laying on her back, staring at the ceiling.

She turned her head to stare at her messanger bag where she kept all her drawings, manuscripts, and song sheets. She found some will to get out of her bed and grab the bag and go through it. "Maybe I can write something new." When she placed her bag back down, something fell out and rolled up to her feet. She looked down and frowned. "I'm so sorry Yuka."

In her hands was Yuka's egg but with an 'x' on it.

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**R&R plz**


	7. A week's time

Over the week, everything was starting to settle.

X.X

Tadase and Lulu left for France in the middle of the week. Their friends said their good-byes at the airport and wished them luck.

They waved good-bye to their friends as they got closer to security. Even Akane made it out of bed to wish them a safe trip. Tadase and Lulu went through the long line of security and then sat down at the gate. He took Lulu's hand and gently kissed it and rubbed his thumb across her hand, "Everything's going to be okay."

Lulu smiled at him and squeezed his hand, "I don't doubt you."

X.X

Amu and Ikuto have been going out, working on their wedding. With the help of their parents, they were able to make the right choices for the many decorations. Although, Ikuto was getting a _little _aggitated with the wedding organizer who was...odd.

"Zis..champagne lace will go perfectly with the cream cards. Don't you think, Tsukiyomi-san?" the organizer asked with his heavy accent, turning towards Ikuto with Amu to show him the lace.

All Ikuto did was groan and let his head fall back over the back of the couch and waved a 'yes' at them.

X.X

Sometimes Utau and Kukai would tag along and they'd decide together. Utau also hired the same wedding organizer Amu and Ikuto have so they can plan together but Kukai was starting to get aggitated along with Ikuto. They were having separate weddings since Utau wanted to get married before she started showing a baby bump. Utau and Kukai also went for their first ultra-sound. Having the doctor show them the forming baby inside Utau, something in the two of them changed. Utau suddenly felt a warm feeling that just radiated throughout her body as she touched her soon-to-be-swollen stomache and Kukai was excited and felt overprotective about their child.

X.X

For the first few days, Nagihiko dealt with Aiko since the school was still on holiday and he couldn't go back to his dorm. But since Rima was worried and didn't want Aiko all over Nagihiko, she told him to move in with her. He couldn't have been more happier to accept her offer. He packed his stuff and moved into Rima's appartment. They were happy living together, and being in the apartment, they didn't have the need to worry about anything since Aiko didn't know where Rima lived. They were able to live in peace and Rima was able to stare at the dazzeling ring that rested on her finger for as long as she liked.

X.X

Haru is trying his best with Akane. Little by little, he tries to get her out of bed. He tries to get her hyped up to go do something. So far, she's only gone out to say good-bye to Tadase and Lulu but it was a start. But when Haru's not around to get her out of bed, Aoi and Daigo try and get her to do things around the house. Little things to do. Play a simple board game with them, cook a simple meal, and the works. And little by little, Akane smiles a little more and finds more will to get out of bed.

X.X

Everythings working out for everyone so far. Currently, they were all at the bakery relaxing.

"Yeah, they got to France safely. Tadase called us last night when they landed," Ikuto said, taking a sip of his tea.

"I hope whatever it is, its not too serious," Utau said as Amu poured them another cup of tea and then went to help a customer.

"Everything will be fine. Those two were meant for each other," Rima giggled as she wiped flour off her hands with her apron.

"True. Speaking of 'meant for each other', hows it going with the cousin?" Haru asked.

Rima shook her head, her gold pontail swishing, "God that woman is presistant. Nagi had to go pick something up he forgot at home and she was _right there_ at the door when we walked in. She freakin' slapped me saying 'What do you think you're doing have an affair with my fiancee!' "Rima mocked Aiko while she rubbed her cheek.

"Ah hell nah! Did I hear that she slapped you!" Amu suddenly appear besides Rima.

"Uh..yeah?"

"Oh she's so going to get it. No one hits my friend and gets away with it!" Amu had fire in her eyes and looked ready to commit murder as she started stomping out of the place but Nagihiko stopped her before she reached the door by grabbing her by the back of her shirt.

"Amu-chan, calm down, I took care of it. You don't honestly think I would let anyone hit Rima-chan do you?"

"Hm..Well no. So what you do?"

"Well, I yelled at her some, and then got my mom on her," he smiled innocently.

"Your mom's freakin insane! She could be on a stupid island in the middle of the ocean for all we know."

"What's your point? That way, she won't have to bother us," Rima crossed her arms and frowned.

"Anyways, how are you feeling, Akane? You actually got out of the house again," Utau asked her.

Akane spun the tea in her cup with a spoon slowly watching it and nodded, "Feeling a little eh but okay for the most part. I was actually out shopping with Aoi and Daigo yesterday. It was fun."

Everyone watched as Akane smiled down at her tea cup as she remembered yesterday's shopping trip. They were happy that she was feeling a little better. Haru was the one that suggested to Aoi that they go shopping, get Akane to walk around, and it worked perfectly.

"By the way, tomorrow, I'm having a concert, you guys coming?" Haru asked.

"Sure."

"We'll be there."

"Wouldn't miss it."

"As long as we get a safe seat with Utau, we'll go."

"Kukai -/-"

"Sure thing. I'll talk to my dad get seats for you all and a safe spot for Utau." He turned to Akane, "Do you think you can make it?"

"I'm going to try."

"Good," he smiled, "That's what I like to hear."

~Over in France~

Tadase watched buildings fly by as while the cab took him and Lulu to her home. They had arrived in France and were still jet lag but they wanted to know what was going on. Tadase was never able to accompany Lulu whenever she'd come to visit her family since he had school so this was his first time in France. He turned his attention away from the window and to Lulu who took hold of his hand and held it tightly.

"Lulu?"

"I'm just nervous. What if its something serious?"

"We'll get through it. Don't worry."

She smiled back at him and then the driver came to a stop. They paid the man and stepped out of the car to face a large mansion that was out in the country. Tadase was amazed by its beauty but having been rised along with the Tsukiyomi's, a wealthy family, and being friends with the heir of the Fujisaki Household, he knows what its like.

Walking up to the grand doors, Lulu ran the bell and waited.

Eventually, they heard the door click open so they turned their attention to them opening. Standing there with a butler behind him was a tiny little boy probably around the age of five with sparkling blue eyes that resembled Lulu's but the boy's hair was a messy set of red. He hide behind the door, shy by the new faces but asked, "Qui vous etes?"

_The boy speaks french. I really should've brushed up on my french before coming here, _Tadase thought as Lulu bent down to the boys level and smiled.

"Lulu de Morcerf Yamamoto et Tadase Hotori. Vous nous laisser entrer?"

"Oui, Madame Lulu," the butler finally spoke.

The boy quickly ran away as they walked in and the butler led them into a beautiful parlor that Lulu grew up in. Tadase could only admire the beautiful decor. When they stepped into the parlor, they saw Lulu's parents and a man with red hair and gray eyes sitting across from them, with the little boy on his lap and a little girl that looked a lot like the man, sitting quietly next to him.

"Lulu!"

"Mon cher!"

Lulu was embraced by her parents and Tadase shook hands with her father.

"Mother, Father, Tadase and I came to find out why you want me back in France. I'm doing just fine in Japan and I'm very happy with Tadase."

Her father sighed while her mother placed her hands on her shoulders, "It's more complicated than that, my dear." She turned her body and motioned over to the red haired man. He stood up and bowed his head while the little girl did a small certsy and the boy stared at the two from the couch. "This is Jaque Francious **(random name I came up with**) and his two children, Emily and Alexandre."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mademoiselle Lulu."

"You speak Japanese," Tadase pointed out.

"Yes, well, I own companies in many countries including Japan...But it is because of my companies that I've asked help from your parents, Lulu."

* * *

**Ok! Cliff hanger! You'll find out what happens in the next chapter.**

**Now, my apology:**

**I'M SOOOOOOOOO SOOOOOOORRY for keeping you all waiting for this chapter. I've had alot going ong starting with my sweet 16 and then my school work which has gotten ridiculous because of our new super intendent. He's retarted! We all hate him! But I finally posted this up and I hope you enjoy it.**

**R&R plz**


	8. Inspired by Aquatwin

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**Okay, so I know I usually post up a chapter for Princess and the Pauper before I post a new chapter for this story but the thing is I have writers block for that story and I really wanna write this chapter. I was inspired to write this by Aquatwin who did an amazing job to send an important message in her story Rima's X Chara. So, this chapter will be about Akane and how she's going through her depression. Most of the things that she's felt already are true feelings. You can say this chapter is passed on a true story...**

**Anyways, I like to thank RomanticaKH1 for wishin me a happy birthday on my sweet 16. It was amazing! And I wanna send a shout out to SHUGO CHARA NEKO D. Lmao I started laughing when I read your review XD. I would love to do that to my super intendent (as so would so many at my school) but I'm pretty sure I'll get arrested and I dont wanna be added to all the other students that were arrested already. I need to stay in school lol but thanks for the idea lol.**

**So, with all of that out of my system, lets begin!**

**I do not own Shugo Chara.**

* * *

5 in the morning

I was laying in bed facing Haru as he slept peacefully next to me. I had asked him to stay with me again and he obliged. The only reason I sleep is because I feel him next to me. On the nights hes not with me, I dont sleep a wink. My mind starts to wander and I get scared when that happens. Horrible thoughts flood my mind when I'm alone. But with him next to me like this...I know I'm not alone.

I woke up early because I heard Daigo get up to go to the bathroom. I'm not able to go back to sleep now since mostly all my days consist of laying in bed. I'm getting lazy.

I sighed to myself as I slowly traced Haru's jawline. If there's one thing that I can always be happy about even through my depression, is that I have him, Aoi, Daigo, and the others to help me. I love being back in Japan.

I was brought back to Earth when I left Haru stir. He turned his face into my palm and I could easily feel his soft lips kiss the inside of my hand. His black eyes opened to look at me and I quickly got lost in them.

"Why are you up so early?" he whispered, still tired.

"I heard Daigo get up."

"Then go back to sleep, you need rest."

He took strands of my hair that rested between us, my hair being that long, and turned them around his fingers.

"Alright."

I curled up closer to him as he wrapped his arms around me and soon...

I was asleep.

~7 in the morning~

When I woke up, I didnt see Haru which disappointed me but when I smelled food coming from downstairs, I got up and went to check it out. Aoi and Daigo were walking around the living room getting ready for school. They smiled at me and hugged me goodbye before leaving the house. I walked into the kitchen to see Haru finishing up two plates. When he saw me, he smiled at me, making me blush.

"You got out of bed =D."

"Is it wrong to get out of bed every now and then?" I crossed my arms and pouted.

He chuckled and walked over to me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned dangerously close to my face, "I'm just glad you're feeling good today."

~Three hourse later~

I was dressed just to please Haru so that he wouldn't think I was going back to bed even if he left to go work on his conert for tonight. I wasn't in the mood of going out so I just sat in the living room working on my new book with the tv on. I had come up with the idea while in America and I'm slowly getting it done. My editor knows about my depression so he's letting me take my time.

With writers block at the moment, I looked up at the tv to see the news.

'_Moving onto celebraty news, Hoshina Utau has announced her engagement to her beau Souma Kukai and will be taking off after her concert next week. Speaking of concerts, tonight, Akiyama Raiden is having a concert to promote his new songs. His concert sold out in just a matter of an hour.'_

_'By the way, Ayazawa-san, what ever happened to Kasumi?'_

_'Honestly, no one knows. She went on a five year tour around the world thanks to her new record label, Easter, but then it was announced that she canceled the rest of her shows by the fourth year. Some say that she just flat out quit her singing career.'_

_'That's a shame. She had so many fans and had asuch a beautiful voice.'_

I quickly picked up the remote and turned off the tv. I didn't want to hear anymore about my 'disappearance'. What would people think if they found out I canceled the rest of my concerts because I was becoming depressed and because I wanted more time to find my parents?

Without even realizing it, I had snapped my pencil in two. "Dammit."

I went upstairs to get a new pencil from my bag. While I was looking through my bag, Yuka rolled out from inside my bag. Just staring at her egg with the x on it, it just ruined my mood. I picked up her egg and wondered how I was going to purify her. "Amu doesnt have her charas anymore and it takes time to get pass depression...Unless-"

I was interrupted by the doorbell. I placed Yuka back into the bag and went to open the door. There, my manager and the members of my band stood looking serious...which they never do.

"Uh...hi. Is something wrong?"

"Kasumi (they know about my secret), there's somewhere we want to take you."

"Oh? And where are you taking me?"

"She's onto us! Get her!" the drummer shouted.

Then suddenly, I was being covered with a bag and being dragged away by my manager. "What the hell!"

~1 hour later~

"For the last fucking time! Where are you taking me!" I shouted, completely pissed out of my wits. I get irritated very _very _**very** easily and boy was I irritated. Although they were guys, my manager got the band guys to change me into Kasumi. The freakin perverts. Note to self: dont tell Haru they did that.

"Relax, Kasumi. You're getting irritating again," Junko, the drummer said, drumming the beat to one of our songs we made back in South America.

"Of course I'm getting irritated! You guys ust kidnapped me out my own house, violate me!, and are taking me to some secret place!"

"Will someone shut her up?" Tenshi, the rhythmic guitarist said. We dont get along very well but we put our differences aside for the music.

"Why won't you shut up, Tenshi!"

Eventually, we were all in a big arguement, five against one and I just felt like crying. My depression isnt as serious as most others...I haven't had thoughts of sucide yet...But my emotions are just all jumbled up. One minute I can be tired, the next angry, the next wanting to cry, and the next tired again. Its a roller coaster ride that never stops. And these guys arent helping in the least bit!

"Will you all _just shut. Up_?" We all got quiet by the manager, "We're here."

"What?"

I looked out the window and saw a large brick building outside. I didn't have the slightest clue as to where we were but once my eyes settled on the white sign, I freaked.

"YOU BROUGHT ME TO A PHSYCOLOGIST!"

"Kasumi, calm down!"

"No! We're leaving, NOW!"

~Time skip~

"Let me out!"

"We're doing this for your own good, Kasumi," my manager's voice came through the door.

I pounded my fist on the gray door that was locked from the outside and begged to be let out. They all ended up dragging me into the building and into this small gray room with a table and two seats with a stack of paper and a cup of pencils. I didn't want to go through therapy. That's the last thing I wanted. "I can get better myself! Let me out!"

"That won't do, Ms Miura. Your friends are very worried about you so they brought you into my care," said an unfamilar voice. I spun around to meet an old man probably in his sixties, nicely dresses, and with a kind smile. "Hello, I'm Dr. Fujimoto and I've been assigned to be your therapist."

"I dont want to be here."

He chuckled sadly and took a seat, "That's what most people your age say when they're dragged here."

"So you understand where I'm coming from," I unconciously spat and then turned back around to go back to trying to knock the door down.

"This room is specifically for cases like your's. For patients who don't want to go through the therapy. There's no way out until I say so. I'm sorry to say that you're stuck here until you go through with the session."

I started tapping my foot as I crossed my arms, trying so hard to stay calm but I wanted to cry. I wanted to cry so bad. It wasn't that I wanted to get out that I wanted to cry. No, thats stupid. I wanted to cry because I knew I'd have to let out everything that I've been holding it...and thats something thats hard to do.

"It's alright to be afraid." I looked up at Dr. Fujimoto as he smiled at me with this wise by sincere look on his face. "Therapy, honestly, isn't for everyone. Some need medicine. Some just can't handle talking to someone like me. But how about you give it a shot and if you dont think you cant do it anymore, I'll you go and you wont have to come back."

I took in a shaky breath and then took the seat in front of him. I sat straight with my hands clutching the hem of my lolita dress, trying to keep a straight face.

"Let's start with simple things. Get to know each other." I nodded and took another breath. I was getting nervous. "My name is Fujimoto Hiro. I have an older brother and a younger sister. Both my parents have passed. I am married to my wife, Aika, and we had two children, a girl named Rika and a boy named Nori. Rika became a daycare teacher and Nori became a lawyer."

He motioned his hand towards me, meaning its my turn.

"M-My name is..." I looked at Fujimoto-san and felt so warm under his gaze. I smiled softly at him and then pulled off my wig to reveal my green hair. His eyes widened in shock but then he smiled at me. "My name is Hanaki Akane. I have a younger sister named Aoi and a little brother named Daigo. My sister is an honor student in school and also in the student council and my brother is in his final year of middle school and is the head instructor of his dojo."

"We're off to a good start...Akane-chan."

After what felt like an hour, I told Fujimoto-san my whole story from my problems with Haru to coming back from America after finding my parents. He listened attentively to my story without interrupting me and surprisingly, I didn't cry. I felt...numb. A feeling that sometimes I thanked but never loved.

"Akane-chan, it seems that you've been through a lot but you and I both know, the reason why you're hear." I stared down at the table, my hands not capable of staying still. I knew why...but I shook my head for some reason. "Well, how about, you figure it out." He grabbed some of the sheets of paper and a pencil and passed it to me. "You're a singer right? And singers sing what they feel. Write a song, however many songs you like, with what you're feeling. Maybe you'll figure it out like that."

"Alright..." I took the pencil from him and tried to write until a thought occured to me. "What time is it?"

He looked down at his watch and read, "Four o'clock."

I sighed in relief, "Oh good. Can you tell me when it's eight? I have a concert to go to. It's important I go."

Hm...Alright, as long as you promise to come back."

I smiled at him and nodded, "I will."

He got up and left the room to let me write and with surprising ease, I wrote about five songs in just a short period of time.

I felt lighter. I felt more relaxed. And best of all, I felt happy. Somehow, I managed to write all my feelings onto those five sheets. I even managed to write a little music for some parts. It was amazing. Before I knew it, Fujimoto-san came back into the room.

"Well, Akane-chan, it's eight o'clock. And as you requested, I'm letting you go."

I put the pencil back into the cup and evened out my papers, "Thanks so much, Fujimoto-san. I feel...okay."

"Baby steps, my dear. That's all it takes."

"You're right."

I turned towards the door and turned the knob but stopped when he spoke again, "My older brother died when I was only sixteen. That's why I'm doing this." His eyes and smile were sad but genuine and I suddenly pictured Aoi and Daigo. "I'll be looking forward to you performing those songs...Kasumi-chan."

I turned to him and bowed, "Domo arigatou gozaimasu, Fujimoto-san."

* * *

**All it takes is baby steps, guys. Like Fujimoto-san said, therapy isnt for everyone. But friends and family are everywhere. Talk to them. Take it from someone who finished therapy just this summer and has been suffering from depression since the 7th grade. ;) It's possible to get over it. It's not impossible.**

**R&R plz!**


	9. Raiden's Concert

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**I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter =D**

**SHUGO CHARA NEKO D: I started laughing at your review XD To bad you got ur tv taken away and grounded.**

**KUTE NEKO D: I hope you're recovering well from ur surgery =) and I hope everything down there is okay in southern mexico. I'm sorry that I didnt hear anything about what happened.**

**So lets start this chapter XD I dont own anything.**

* * *

Ikuto's POV

There's only half an hour before the doors open to Haru's concert and we're still going through light checks and song rehearsals. Haru's father, Takahashi-san, came down with a cold so I'm filling in for him. Haru was currently out on stage practicing on his guitar for one his songs while the band was randomly playing pieces to practice.

Amu was on the phone with our wedding organizer talking about guests. I was running around to make sure everything was in check.

I was handing Audio the song list when I noticed Utau, Kukai, Rima, and Nagihiko.

"How'd you guys get in? The doors arent open yet."

"Daiki let us in," Rima said.

"That explains it."

"Where's Amu?" Utau asked.

I pointed to the other wing while scaning the clipboard in my hand, "On the phone with whatever his name is."

"You should be nicer to him, Ikuto," Utau said walking pass him with Rima, "He's giving you and Amu an amazing wedding."

They walked onto the stage and said hi to Haru and the band then walked over to Amu. Once they were gone, Ikuto turned to Kukai and Nagihiko, "I'll be nicer to him when that guy gets rid of zat aczent."

The three of them started laughing at how well Ikuto mocked the wedding planner and then quickly got quiet when they noticed the girls glaring at them from across the stage.

"A-Anyways, why are you with the clipboard? Isn't that Haru's dad's job as his manager?"

"Takashi called in sick. My dad told me to take over."

"That's cool."

"It's okay."

"So, Kukai, hows my niece/nephew doing?" Ikuto asked.

"You guys went for another ultra-sound?" Nagihiko jumped in.

"Yeah. We went this afternoon. Doctor says he wanted to take another look."

"Is something wrong?"

"I hope not. It would break Utau's heart if something was wrong with the baby," Kukai shook his head.

"But they didn't tell you anything?" Ikuto asked, sounding just as afraid as Kukai.

Kukai only shook his head. He covered his face with a his hand as he sat down on a near by box, "I'm so scared, guys. What if something is really wrong with the baby?"

"Don't think so negatively, Kukai. You never know, maybe, the doctor had different intentions about asking for another ultra-sound," Nagihiko said, trying to be positive.

"I hope you're right, Fujisaki. God, I hope you're right."

"Hey, Ikuto." They all turned to Haru who walked up to them with his guitar hanging from the strap. He noticed the depressing tension coming off them and frowned, "Something's wrong."

Kukai went back to covering his face while Nagihiko quickly summed up the situation to Haru. His black eyes softened with sympathy as he placed a hand on Kukai's shoulder, "It's going to be okay, Kukai. Maybe they're just double checking. But no matter what happens, you have to be strong. For Utau and the baby."

He took a deep breath and nodded, "You're right."

"And if something is wrong with the baby, we'll be there for you all the way," Ikuto added.

"Thanks guys."

"No problem, buddy."

After Kukai regained his usual grin, Haru remembered why he came backstage. "Ikuto, where's my phone?"

"Here," he said, easily pulling out Haru's cell phone from his pocket.

He unlocked it and looked through it and was surprised that there were a number of missed calls from Aoi and Daigo. He started to worry. He redialed Aoi's number and waited. As the phone rang, the guys start to notice the worry look on Haru's face.

"Haru!"

"Aoi, what's wrong?"

"It's Akane."

Even in the darkness from behind the curtain, Kukai, Ikuto, and Nagi were able to see the life drain from Haru's face, "W-Why? What's wrong? Is she okay? Let me talk to her."

"That's the thing. We can't find her."

"What?"

He heard the door open on the other side of the line and then heard Daigo's distant voice but he could hear that he was out of breath. "Daigo just got back. He can't find her in town. Haru, she wasn't here when we got back home from school and all her stuff is here too. She didn't take her phone or wallet or anything with her."

"What about the neighbors? Did they see her leave?"

"We already asked, they were all at work."

"Dammit." Haru started pacing and ran his hand through his hair. Sighing deeply he spoke again, "Alright, Aoi. Just wait for Akane at home. After the concert, if I haven't called you with anything or if she hasn't shown up yet, call the police."

"But what if...What if-"

"We're not going to start thinking those things, Aoi. We need to trust Akane to be strong. We can't give up on her."

"...Alright. I'll call you if she gets home."

"Okay. Talk to you later."

"'Kay."

He hung up and rubbed his eyes.

"Is Akane missing?"

Haru turned around to see the girls. He nodded sadly at them, "Aoi and Daigo have been looking for her all day but they can't find her.

"Then we should go look for her," Amu said.

"No."

"No?"

"If she doesnt show up after the concert, we're calling the police. We need to believe that Akane isn't going to leave us...in any way."

Everyone watched as Haru walked pass them and into his dressing room.

* * *

The doors to the stadium were finally opened and quickly, the seats were being filled up by Raiden's fans. Instead of getting seats, the gang were going to stay backstage for the concert. Ikuto was running around with his headset, instructing Audio and Lights at the right moments. Haru was wearing his blond wig but over the years, he's changed his look from punk clothes to a more rock look.

Rima peeked out from behind the curtain to see the whole building filled up.

"Well, everyone's here," she said.

"Except for one person," Haru shook his head. "Akane still hasnt shown up." Rima and Ikuto stepped aside as Haru got ready to make his entrance.

Sighing, Ikuto clicked his headset and gave the signal to kill the house lights. It got dark and the audience cheered and screamed from the excitement. One by one, each member of the band ran out onto the stage and took their place. Then Haru walked out and up to the mic while everyone cheered.

"Well," he chuckled, "I see that everyone's excited." There was another roar of cheers. "So let me tell you guys that a few of these songs I've written a while back. But most...Are very recent. So lets get started." The audience roared as the lights dimmed down and Haru fixed his guitar to start playing.

**Dead star shine  
Light up the sky  
I'm all out of breath  
My walls are closing in  
Days go by  
Give me a sign  
Come back to the end  
The shepherd of the damned**

**I can feel you falling away**

**No longer the lost  
No longer the same  
And I can see you starting to break  
I'll keep you alive  
If you show me the way  
Forever and ever  
The Scars will remain  
I'm falling apart  
Leave me here forever in the dark**

During Haru's small solo, they heard a door burst open and running. When they turned to the noise, they were surprised to see the person.

"Akane!"

She was panting and her wig had some of her green hair showing. She was bent over, trying to catch her breath and once she did, she stood up and gave a cheeky smile to her friends.

"Haru was getting worried, Akane," Utau said.

"Why?"

"Because Aoi and Daigo couldnt get a hold of you."

Akane face palmed herself then sighed, "My manager and band kidnapped me this morning and dragged me to therapy."

"What!"

"I'll explain later."

**Daylight dies  
Blackout the sky  
Does anyone care?  
Is anybody there?  
Take this life  
Empty inside  
I'm already dead  
I'll rise to fall again**

**I can feel you falling away**

**No longer the lost  
No longer the same  
And I can see you starting to break  
I'll keep you alive  
If you show me the way  
Forever and ever  
The scars will remain  
I'm falling apart  
Leave me here forever in the dark**

**God help me I've come undone  
Out of the light of the sun  
God help me I've come undone  
Out of the light of the sun**

**I can feel you falling away**

**No longer the lost  
No longer the same  
And I can see you starting to break  
I'll keep you alive  
If you show me the way  
Forever and ever  
The scars will remain**

**Give me a sign  
There's something buried in the words  
Give me a sign  
Your tears are adding to the flood  
Just give me a sign  
There's something buried in the words  
Give me a sign  
Your tears are adding to the flood  
Just give me a sign  
There's something buried in the words  
Give me a sign  
Your tears are adding to the flood**

**Forever and ever  
The scars will remain**

The song was amazing and during it, cellphones were brought out to add effect. It was a great song to start a concert. Haru looked away from the audience to the wing and smiled when he saw "Kasumi" standing in the wing with the others. A great sense of relief spread through his body.

He was brought back to the concert when Ikuto waved his hand to pay attention and he heard the bass start the next song.

**Search for the answers I knew all along  
I lost myself, we all fall down  
Never the wiser of what I've become  
Alone I stand a broken man**

**All I have is one last chance  
I won't turn my back on you  
Take my hand drag me down  
If you fall then I will too  
And I can't save what's left of you**

**Sing something new  
I have nothing left  
I can't face the dark without you  
There's nothing left to lose  
The fight never ends  
I can't face the dark without you**

**Swallow me under and pull me apart  
I understand there's nothing left  
Pain so familiar and close to the heart  
No more, no less, I wont forget**

**Come back down save yourself  
I can't find my way to you  
And I can't bear and face the truth**

**Sing something new  
I have nothing left  
I can't face the dark without you  
There's nothing left to lose  
The fight never ends  
I can't face the dark without you**

**I wanted to forgive  
I'm trying to forgive  
Don't leave me here again  
I'm with you forever, the end**

**Sing something new  
I have nothing left  
I can't face the dark without you  
There's nothing left to lose  
The fight never ends  
I can't face the dark without you**

**Holding the hand that holds me down  
I forgive, forget you, the end  
Holding the hand that holds me down  
I forgive you, forget you, the end**

With the song ending with recorded violins, Ikuto quickly went to get Haru's acoustic for the next song. When he came back, Haru was already making his way to the wing. He was about to pass Ikuto and go to Akane but he stopped him with his guitar. Shoving it into his chest and turning him back to the stage, "Not the moment lover boy."

Now that Haru was back on stage with a shove from Ikuto, the drummer started.

**You used to talk to me like  
I was the only one around.  
You used to lean on me like  
The only other choce was falling down  
You used to walk with me like  
We had nowhere we needed to go  
Nice and slow, to no place in particular.**

**We used to have this figured out;  
We used to breathe without a doubt  
When nights were clear, you were the first star that I'd see  
We used to have this under control  
We never thought  
We used to know  
At least there's you and at least there's me  
Can we get this back?  
Can we get this back to how it used to be?**

**I used to reach for you when  
I got lost along the way  
I used to listen  
You always had just the right thing to say  
I used to follow you  
Never really cared where we would go  
Fast or slow, to anywhere at all**

**We used to have this figured out  
We used to breathe without a doubt  
When nights were clear, you were the first star that I'd see  
We used to have this under control  
We never thought  
We used to know  
At least there's you and at least there's me  
Can we get this back?  
Can we get this back to how it used to be?**

**I look around me,  
And I want you to be there  
Cause I miss the things that we shared  
Look around you  
It's empty and you're sad  
Cause you miss the love that we had**

**You used to talk to me like  
I was the only one around  
The only one around!**

**We used have this figured out  
We used to breath without a doubt  
When nights were clear, you were the first star that I'd see  
We used to have this under control  
We never thought  
We used to know  
At least there's you and at least there's me  
Can we get this back?  
Can we get this back to how it used to be? Yeah!  
To how it used to be.  
To how it used to be, Yeah.  
To how it used to be  
To how it used to be.**

"This next song, goes specifically to a special person. Its called Crash."

**Well I was moving at the speed of sound.  
Head-spinning, couldn't find my way around, and  
Didn't know that I was going down.  
Yeah, yeah  
Where I've been, well its all a blur  
What I was looking for, I'm not sure  
Too late and didn't see it coming  
yeah, yeah**

**And then I crashed into you  
And I went up in flames  
Could've been the death of me,  
But then you breathed your breath in me  
And I crashed into you  
Like a runaway train  
You will consume me  
But I can't walk away**

**Somehow, I couldn't stop myself  
I just wanted to know how it felt.  
Too strong, I couldn't hold on  
Yeah, yeah  
Now I'm just trying to make some sense  
Out of how and why this happened  
Where we're heading, there's just no knowing  
Yeah, yeah**

**And then I crashed into you  
And I went up in flames  
Could've been the death of me  
But then you breathed your breath in me  
And I crashed into you  
Like a runaway train  
You will consume me  
But I cant walk away**

**From your face, your eyes  
Are burning to me  
You saved me, you gave me  
Just what I need  
Oh, just what I need**

**And then I crashed into you  
And I went up in flames  
Could've been the death of me  
But then you breathed your breath in me  
And I crashed into you  
Like a runaway train  
You will consume me  
But I can't walk away**

**And then I crashed into you  
And then I crashed into you  
And then I crashed into you  
And then I crashed into you  
And I crashed into you  
Like a runaway train  
You will consume me  
But I can't walk away**

The song finished and then Ikuto quickly walked out and placed a stool down for Haru to sit. Amu crossed her arms and glared at the audience as all the girls started screaming and squealing over Ikuto. There was a visible tick mark on her forehead when he got back and he stared at her with a confused face while the other laughed at the two.

Haru sat down and settled his guitar on his lap and started.

**You never said, you never said, you never sai  
That it would be this hard  
Love is meant to be forever, now or never seems to discard  
There's gotta be a better way for me to say  
What's on my heart without leaving scars?  
Can you hear me when I call your name?**

**And when you fall apart  
Am I the reason for your endless sorrow?  
There's so much to be said and with a broken heart  
Your walls can only go down but so low  
Can you hear me when I call your name?**

**Complicated situations are the making of all thats wrong  
And I've been standing in the river of deliverance way too long  
There's gotta be a better way for me to say  
What's on my heart without leaving scars?  
Can you hear me when I call your name?  
So, can you hear me when I call your name?**

The electric guitar player jumed in and the lights started going everywhere, causing the audience to go crazy.

**And when you fall apart  
Am I the reason for your endless sorrow?  
There's so much to be said and with a broken heart  
Your walls can only go down but so low  
Can you hear me when I call your name?**

~Over with Aoi and Daigo~

Sitting on the couch with the lights off but the Tv on watching the concert and a bowl of popcorn in between them were Aoi and Daigo. They were really worried about Akane and how she hadn't shown up. But while they were watching the concert, they saw how Haru was smiling into the wing after the first song.

"She could've given us a call," Aoi pouted, stuffing her mouth with a handful of popcorn.

"She left her phone here, Aoi-nee," Daigo shook his head.

"That doesn't give her an excuse!"

Daigo slapped his forehead, tired of listening to his stubborn sister so he grabbed the remote and raised the voice.

~Back to the concert~

Everyone was enjoying Raiden's new songs. The audience was cheering, Haru was enjoying singing, and the others were happy to watch.

"Well, everyone that's it for tonight!" Disappointed sighs and awws came from the audience and thats when Haru got an idea. "But since you all still want more, I dont think one more song would hurt."

"What is he doing?" Ikuto asked.

"Just a moment."

Haru ran off stage and into the wing. Ikuto grabbed him by the shirt, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Telling Audio and Lights theres one more song."

"What song? You have no other song!"

"Yes I do but I need help." He looked at Akane and when she realized he was talking about her, she shook her head.

"Oh no. I'm not getting into this. I dont even this song of yours."

"I'll give you the lyrics. I wrote it as a duet for us."

"But-"

No buts."

"Fine! Where are the words?"

He quickly ran into his dressing room and came back with a lyric sheet. He handed it to Akane then ran out on stage while Ikuto got everything ready for the next song. He was going to kill Haru later.

"Alright! So you guys ready for this next song!" The crowd cheered. "Then, let's welcome someone who everyone has missed. Miura Kasumi!"

Gasps were heard at the sound of her name and when Akane stepped out from behind the curtain, the cheers from before became louder than ever. Audio came running out to hand Kasumi an extra mic. For a good three minutes, everyone was welcoming Kasumi back to the stage. The band members came up to welcome her with a hug while the crowd screamed.

"Thanks everyone," she took a deep breath and chuckled, "It feels good to be back." Suddenly, a rose came filling on stage from the crowd. It surprised Akane but she caught it in time. "Oh wow. Thanks! who ever threw this."

The crowd laughed and then Haru got on the mic, "Let's get this song started."

"Sorry if I mess up guys. Raiden over here _just_ gave me the song."

Haru looked over his shoulder and told the band what the song was. They nodded and started.

**( Bold - **Raiden... _Italics_- Kasumi...Underline - Both**)**

**I'm at war with the world and they  
Try to pull me into the dark  
I struggle to find my faith  
As I'm slippin' from your arms**

_It's getting harder to stay awake  
And my strength is fading fast  
You breath into me at last!_

**I'm awake I'm alive  
Now I know what I believe inside  
**Now it's my time  
**I'll do what I want cause this is my life  
Here** _Right here_  
**Right now **_Right now_  
_I'll stand my ground and never back down  
_**I know what I believe inside  
**I'm awake and I'm alive

**I'm at war with the world cause I  
Aint never gonna sell my soul  
I've already made up my mind  
No matter what I can't be bought or sold**

_When my faith is getting weak  
And I feel like giving in  
You breath into me again_

**I'm awake I'm alive  
Now I know what I believe inside  
**Now it's my time  
**I'll do what I want cause this is my life  
Here** _Right here_  
**Right now **_Right now_  
_I'll stand my ground and never back down_  
**I know what I believe inside  
**I'm awake and I'm alive

**Waking up Waking up  
Waking up Waking up  
Waking up Waking up  
In the dark  
**I can feel you in my sleep  
In your arms I feel you breath into me  
**Forever hold this heart that I will give to you  
**Forever I will live for you

**I'm awake I'm alive  
Now I know what I believe inside  
**Now it's my time  
**I'll do what I want cause this is my life  
Here** _Right here_  
**Right now **_Right now_  
_I'll stand my ground and never back down  
_**I know what I believe inside  
**I'm awake and I'm alive

**Waking up Waking up  
Waking up Waking up  
Waking up Waking up**

~Time Skip~

The whole place was cleared out except for the gang who were still on stage. Ikuto was currently spread out on the floor with the clipboard on his face with Amu sitting next him looking childish as she poked his face.

"Another great concert, Haru," Nagihiko commented with his arm around Rima's waist as she found amusment in playing with his hair.

"Thanks, but it was thanks to Ikuto though," Haru chuckled as he stood behind Akane with his arms around her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder.

"Poor Kitty. Amu is he asleep?" Kukai grinned.

Amu carefully lifted the clipboard of his face to see but meant Ikuto's midnight blue eyes. She slowly put the clipboard back down on his face and shook her head, "Nope."

"Aww, man."

"And just what were you planning to do to my brother?" Utau crossed her arms.

"Uh...Nothing ^^! Nothing at all. You know I love you Utau, right?"

"Mmmhm. Let's go home. I want ice cream on the way home," she said walking behind the curtains after saying bye.

"And let it begin," Kukai sighed.

"Kukai!"

"Coming!"

He ran to catch up with his pregnant fiance while Ikuto picked up his hand and make a whip sound and motion, making everyone burst out laughing.

* * *

**Yay! I'm finally done! Sorry it took long. I was writing a one -shot for Kaichou wa Maid-sama. So, those of you who watch or read the anime, go read and review my one-shot please! XD **

**Anyways, here are the songs of today's concert =):**

**Give Me A Sign - Breaking Benjamin**

**Without you - Breaking Benjamin**

**Used To - Daughtry**

**Crashed - Daughty**

**Call Your Name - Daughtry**

**Awake and Alive - Skillet**

**Hope you enjoyed it.**

**R&R plz**


	10. Time of Calm

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**I am back with more! XD**

**Onto the reviews I can comment on. =)**

**KonekoNeko: I will try and make this pretty as you requested ^^**

**SHUGO CHARA NEKO D: I'm glad you like my stories =D It makes me really happy when I get reviews like yours. It made me laugh when you mentioned your brother again. lmao here's a suggestion that can keep you from getting grounded...dont throw anything at him ;) lol I have a little brother too. He's a pain in my side too but what can ya do? He's basically Daigo in the story except that he's only eight like in High School Problems.**

**Well, lets start this chapter. Shall we? :D**

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Unlocking the door, Amu stumbled into the house giggling with Ikuto shutting the door behind them. He watched her fall over the arm of the couch and lay there kicking her shoes off. Ikuto chuckled at how childish Amu's been acting ever since they started planning their wedding. _I'm glad she's excited_, he thought smiling.

"Hey, Ikuto."

"Hm?"

Amu sat up and looked at Ikuto over the back of the couch, "Can you make me that hot chocolate you make?"

Ikuto raised a teasing eyebrow at her and leaned his face close to her's, "You're not pregnant are you?"

"Shut up!"

He laughed at how red she turned and kissed her to quiet her. He placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair, "I'm just teasing you, kitten."

She pouted as he walked away and into the kitchen. She sank down on the couch and pulled her knees up to her chest. She couldn't help but smile to herself, her cheeks pink from excitement and embarrasment. She placed a hand on her stomache and looked in the direction of the kitchen.

"Hm...Now where'd I put the cocoa powder?" Amu heard Ikuto opening and closing cabients.

She giggled and then called out, "You put it in the drawer with the spoons."

"...Why the hell did I put it there?"

Amu laughed at her fiancee and then noticed the blinking light of the message machine. She walked over to it and read that there were two messages.

**Two new messages. First new message. ***Beep*

_Amu? Amu? Oh, Amu. Of all the times to be out! *_sniffle* _It's terrible. I need to talk to you. My parents want me to marry this other man. Please call me back once you get this message. God, Tadase was so devistated and I dont know what to do. _

_*_Beep* **End of first message. Second new message. ***Beep*

_Ikuto-nee, it's me Tadase... *sigh* I don't even know where to start. They want Lulu to marry this _Francious_ man who owns a business thats going bankrupt. They want to help him but that means Lulu has to marry him and then her family inheritance goes to him. I dont want her to marry some stranger. Ikuto-nee, call me back please. I need your advice._

*Beep* **End of final message.**

"We better call them back."

Looking over her shoulder at Ikuto who had been listening, she nodded and picked up the phone.

~Over in France~ **(I'm honestly not going to do the time difference -_- so just work with me)**

Tadase sat up in bed, wide awake. His hand was gently stroking Lulu's long blong hair as she slept. She had been crying yesterday and didn't fall asleep until late. Tadase hasn't slept a wink. He waited for her to fall asleep and then he'd go to sleep but he couldn't.

He looked down at the sleeping french girl and a small smile formed on his lips when he noticed how peaceful she looked sleeping with a smile on her face. He looked back up and out the large window doors to the balcony; it was still dark out, it being early in the morning, but not too dark to not see outside. Tadase could easily see the gardens of the backyard and the morning fog that covered it in a dull gray. He sighed and then there was a knock on the door.

Curious, he pulled on his pants from yesterday and answered the door. Standing outside with the house phone in his hands was the butler that let Tadase and Lulu in with the small boy.

"Phone call."

"Oh...Uh, thank you."

The butler passed him the phone and then walked away. Tadase closed the door and pressed the phone to his ear, "Hello?"

"Tadase? Oh, good. We didn't know whether you were asleep or not."

"Amu-chan," he sighed in relief, "I'm so glad you called. Actually, I haven't slept at all."

"That's not good for you, Kiddy King."

"Ikuto-nii."

"We called as soon as we got your message. And Lulu's. We got worried."

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed, "I'm sorry, it's just..."

"It's alright, Tadase, we get it." Tadase could tell Ikuto was shaking his head sympatheticly over the phone. "Where's Lulu?"

He looked back at the bed where Lulu was and saw how her arm was placed over the spot where he "slept", "She's still sleeping. She didn't go to sleep until late. She doesnt know what to do."

"Isn't it simple? She says no then you two get the hell out of there-Ow!"

"Ikuto! You couldn't have said that nicer?"

"You _sure_ your not pregnant?"

"Shut the hell up!"

"We're going to the doctors tomorrow."

"Teme!"

"Anyways," Tadase chuckled at their conversation and could easily tell that Amu was pouting with her arms crossed, glaring at his older brother, "Seriously, all Lulu has to do is say no."

"I think she should too."

"Who-ho, Tadase! Finally maning up."

Blushing from embarrasment, he cleared his throat and continued, "But you know Lulu. This is her family asking her and she's raised to be the proper lady. And that would mean accepting this marriage."

"You're both push-overs -_-."

By the thud and short cry of pain on the other line, Tadase imagined that Amu pushed Ikuto off whereever they were sitting, "In some sense, Ikuto has a point."

"So why the heck did you push me off the couch!"

"Shut up, Baka Neko! Ikuto has a point in Lulu just saying no. She loves you and you love her. Even if this man is going bankrupt, he's gotta figure that out on his own. Lulu's gotta chose. She usually manages an inbetween answer but she can't this time."

"I wish you were here to tell her that," he said running his hand over his face, trying to rid the sleep that's threatening to take him.

"Nope. Tadase, you have to tell her. If you tell her, maybe something will click in her head. But Amu can't fight this battle of yours."

"You're right. Thank you, Ikuto-nii, Amu-chan."

"No problem."

"Just call us if anything ^^."

"Now go to bed, Kiddy King. You're up passed your bedtime."

"Ikuto-nii!"

They both laughed but Tadase had to keep his quiet to keep from waking Lulu. They said their good-nights (or good mornings) and then hung up. Tadase placed the phone down on the night stand and then quietly crept into bed. He carefully lifted Lulu's arm and then set it down next to her as he got comfortable. Just as he was placing his head on the pillow, Lulu's eyes lids slowly lifted to show sleepy aqua eyes, "Tadase?"

He layed down and took her hand in his and kissed it, "Go back to sleep."

"You look terrible. Did you sleep at all?" she asked, her eyes starting to focus more.

He chuckled, "I'll go to sleep once you do."

She eyed him for a good minute before nodding. She moved closer to him and curled into the curve of his body. Placing her head on his chest, she started to relax and felt sleep start to conquer her again. But before she fell asleep, she heard Tadase talk.

"Just say no, Lulu. Tell him you dont want to marry him."

She was shocked by what he said but by the time it finally sank into her mind and quickly sat up to answer him, he had fallen asleep. Sadly, but lovingly, she smiled at him and bent over his sleeping figure to kiss him. Then, whispering into his ear, she said, "For you, I will."

~Back in Japan~

Kukai watched from the door as Utau spooned more cookies-and-cream icecream into her mouth, glaring at the lyric sheeting before her. Her pencil tapped impatiently against the desk as she held the metal spoon in her mouth, letting the icecream melt. He chuckled at how fustrated she looked which caused her to look back at him. It shocked him how much she liked looked like a little girl sitting in the chair like that with the spoon hanging from her mouth. He couldn't help but blush at how cute she looked but smiled as well, thinking how their baby might turn out to look a lot like her.

Seeing him blush and smile like that, Utau smiled back with insperation glimming in her eyes. She quickly turned back to the desk and started scribling down lyrics as she continued to eat for two.

Since she was on a roll, Kukai left her to work on her lyrics for her concert coming up before she takes off to calmly plan their wedding and take care of herself for the baby.

"The baby..." It still bothered Kukai that the doctor called them in for that ultrasound after only having one just a week before. He worried that something was wrong with the baby. He shook his head and slapped his cheeks. "Come on, we cant think like this, Kukai," he said to himself. Then his mind started to wander. _What if something's wrong with the baby's legs? Or what if it won't be able to speak? Or worse, what if..._ He was brought out of his thoughts when he walked into a wall.

"Ah!"

Hearing his cry of pain, Utau suddenly appeared at his side, "What were you trying to do? Get to Hogwartz?"

He laughed at her joke and let her inspect his forehead where it made impact with the wall. As she moved his hair aside to look and turned his head in different angles, he took in just how beautiful Utau was. Seeing her care for him with concern in her eyes even if her expression didn't show it. It made him feel more relaxed about the baby.

She stopped examining his forhead when she noticed he was starin at her with this goofy grin, "What? Is there something on my face? Why are you grinning like that?"

"No reason."

~Other part of town~

Nagihiko and Rima walked down the sidewalk, just a few blocks from her apartment. They decided to go out for a walk, not wanting to be cooped up in the small condominaum very long. They held hands, their fingers intertwined while they spoke of anything.

"I wonder how Tadase and Lulu are doing," Rima said, looking up at the sky as if to see their departing plane.

"If anything, they'd call Amu-chan and Ikuto."

"True."

It got quiet for a minute as Rima let her eyes fall back behind her bangs. Nagihiko noticed her sudden mood change and stopped. "Rima, is something wrong?"

"It's just..." She wasn't very much the person to open up about her thoughts but when she looked up at the violet haired man staniding before her she rememebered the ring that no rested on her ring finger of her left hand. "It's just, I can't help but think that things are calm and quiet at the moment."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Nagihiko responded, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Well yes. Amu and Ikuto are getting married and Amu's excited as hell. She's even acting like a little girl that found out tinkerbell is real." Nagihiko had to laugh at her anaology but let her continue. "Utau and Kukai are expecting a baby _and_ they're getting married. _We're_ getting married." Her cheeks turned pink at this statement and Nagihiko squeezed her hand a little and smiled, showing her that he was happy about it too. "Akane and Haru are doing great together besides the fact that her depression is making it hard for her to go out. Yaya and Kairi are in college doing who-knows-what. And Tadase and Lulu are in France trying to see what's up."

"That all sounds like good stuff to me." She became quiet again, her eyes averting to the ground. "Rima?"

"Just...How long will it last?"

"That's not a very positive way to think."

"But think about it. When has anything for us-for this group-ever stayed calm for a _long_ period of time?"

Nagihiko's brows knitted together as he thought. Rima pulled her hand away from his to cross her arms across her chest.

"I...guess you have a point."

"Exactly. I'm afraid that all of it is just going to turn bad in just a matter of minutes."

Nagihiko sighed and shook his head. He placed his hand under her chin and tilted her face so that she was looking up at him with her honey colored eyes. "It's true that things might turn into chaos once we turn our backs...But, we have to enjoy our time with each other and enjoy the calm situation as much as we can. So that when we do have problems, we can find a way to stay together. Understand?"

She nodded in his hand and he smiled. He kissed her forehead and then took her hand again and they started walking.

~Another part of town~

"They kidnapped you...?"

"Yes."

"And they dragged you to a therapist?"

"Yup. That's basically what happened."

Akane was in the kitchen making a quick dinner for the four of them since no one has really eatten yet. _Even if it is 10 at night_. Aoi and Daigo watched her through the window of the kitchen behind the table from the couch. Haru was leaning on the doorframe watching her as well, a big smile on his face that hasn't left his lips since the moment he saw her at the concert.

She had explained to them what happened to her that afternoon and why no one was able to get a hold of her. She told them about her new therapist, Dr. Fujimoto, and the session.

Unlike Aoi and Daigo who were listening to how much "lighter" their older sister sounded, Haru watched her be "lighter". He watched as she made her way around the kitchen to prepare the meal. He watched as she spoke while cutting, a smile appearing here and there. He listened to every word, it being that she usually wouldn't say much ever since she got back. But now, she was talking.

When she stood up from taking a pot from one of the cabinets below, she finally noticed Haru watching her carefully, smiling. She blushed lightly but pouted, "What?"

He walked over to her shaking his head, chuckling. She put the pot under the sink and let the water run, filling it. Haru walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and rest his chin on her shoulder like he did earlier. He kissed the exposed part of her neck and said, "I'm glad you're starting to feel better."

He turned her around and cupped her cheek and then planted his lips to hers. She quickly responded to him, enjoying the kiss.

"Ah! PDA! Run!" they heard Daigo shout before running upstairs.

Aoi ran after him laughing but stopped at the stairs for a second and peeked back at her sister and Haru. They had pulled away and Haru was rubbing his thumb gently on Akane's cheek as she stared at him with loving eyes. She blushed at the scene and felt happy for them...but something inside her wished for the same.

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**Yay! Sappy, lovey-dovey chapter that I had fun writing lol Hope you like the cliffhanger about Aoi. Gets you thinkin huh ;D**

**Anyways, so I came home from pep rally today at my high school. Yeah, I know its late but thats because the principal took it away because people were idiots last year. Well, we got it back (woop-de-freakin-do -_-) and it was torture.**

**1) The Seniors and Juniors (me) hate the Sophmores and Freshmen. THEY'RE ANNOYING AS HELL! I know what you guys are thinking "you guys were freshmen too". Well, let me tell you this. We weren't as bad as them. And even the Seniors said so.**

**2) The Juniors were cheering louder than the Seniors -_- Thats just sad.**

**3) These two stupid freshmen decided to start a fight in their section in the bleachers. Honestly? Security and the police (yes, we have police at the school. that's how bad most of the kids are) ran up the bleachers to see what's going on. **

**4)Turns out, some kid got jumped after the rally off on one of the other school grounds and rumor going around is that they're taking the homecoming dance away (not that I cared, really. I really dont care)**

**Stupid people! Srry, I needed to rant.**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'll update when I can.**

**R&R plz**


	11. What Happens in France

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**My sister, Aoi, got curious as to what I'm gonna do with her in the story and wanted me to write the next chapter. So yeah.**

****Quickly, I'll do the reviews

RomanticaKH1: you lucky person! I hated pep-rally. it was terrible -_- and it's good that you have friends who r mature. My friends r the same. My parents have told me they've never meet a group of teenagers like my friends lol. Stick with them. They'll take you far ;D

I don't own Shugo Chara.

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The warm rays of the sun flooded the large french designed room through the large window doors. The light rested softly on the two blondes that rested in bed together. Eventually, Lulu couldn't help but open her eyes against the bright yellow light of the sun. Her eyes fluttered, trying to adjust to the sun and once she could, she checked for the time. Her eye settled on the alarm clock next to the bed.

_8 in the morning_. Lulu rubbed her eyes and sat up carefully, to not wake up Tadase. She looked down at him and could still see the bags under his eyes from last night. They were starting to clear up so she decided to let him sleep more.

With great care, she got out of the bed and dressed for the day. As she finished placing the shirt over her head, she felt arms help her settle the shirt down. Their hands rested on her waist and Lulu already knew who it was.

"You should sleep more."

"Hm...Sounds inviting but I dont think I will."

She turned around in his arms and looked up at him, Tadase being taller than her by a number of inches. She could obviously see the sleep still in his eyes and couldn't help but feel at fault. She averted her eyes down but blushed at the sight of Tadase's chest. She remembered how when she first met him, he was only a little kid with a crush on her best friend Amu. He was skrunny and...girly looking, she'll admit that. Then, when she met him again in the park, she wasn't sure at first if it really was him. He grew taller, lost some of his boyish features, and his body wasn't "skrunny", but he wasn't built. He was descent looking and his personality made her want to be near him. And now, he hasn't changed from the teenage boy she fell in love with. But now, ever since he started college, she noticed that he started gainin _some_ muscle from playing sports with Nagihiko and Kukai on campus.

Lulu shook her head to think straight and firmly pressed her hands on Tadase's chest. She started to push him back until Tadase's legs touched the bed and he could do nothing but fall back. He stared up at Lulu as she stood over him.

"I want you, to sleep. I know you're exhausted."

"But-"

"Tadase," she said firmly.

He chuckled, feeling like a child under her watch, and reached out a hand to cup her cheek, "Alright. I'll go back to bed."

"Good." She bent down and kissed him, "Come down when you're good and rested."

It didn't take long for Tadase to pass out with sleep. His breathing became even and Lulu smiled. She pulled on a pair of heels and then made it down to the parlor. Every time she visits, she loves the feeling of walking through the halls of the mansion she grew up in. She shook her head, chuckling, at how childish she was wanting to be perfect back when she was younger. All she wanted to do was be perfect at everything, to be able to do anything. _But it was Tadase who showed me the truth about perfection_. She smiled at the memory just a few years ago.

_~Flashback~_

_Lulu was in the kitchen making lunch, getting things ready for Tadase to come down from college for the weekend. She was in the laundry room, putting the bedsheets into the machine when she heard the door open._

_"Lulu?"_

_"In the laundry room!" she called out to him. She closed the door and set the machine then walked out to meet Tadase in the living room. He was putting down his bag with his school work and hanging up his jacket, shaking off the snow. Lulu came up behind him and hugged him, admiring the fact that although he was just outside the winter cold air, he was very warm. "Welcome back."_

_"Glad to be back."_

_"Come, I have lunch ready."_

_He chuckled, "You didn't have too."_

_"Of course I did."_

_She didn't notice the frown that appeared on Tadase's face as she pulled him to the dinning room table. They sat down and started eating then Tadase asked if Lulu had done anything new._

_"The Mashiro's opened a bakery for Rima with the help of the Fujisaki's. Since she needed employees, I applied. I've been working on serving and bakery ever since."_

_"Is it nessasary to 'train' to become a bakery waitress?"_

_Lulu looked up from her plate at Tadase who had his serious face on. "Of course. I have to do the job just right or else Rima would fire me and customers wont be happy."_

_Tadase sighed, put down his fork, and folded his hands in front of him, "Lulu, you're just starting with a job and Mashiro is only starting a business. Perfection isn't needed yet."_

_"Then how do businesses start? By perfection Tadase." This conversation was starting to anger Lulu. She felt that Tadase was trying to put her down._

_"You know that's not what I meant." By now, Lulu crossed her arms and her blond brows were knitted together. "What I meant is that, you don't have to everything perfectly. No one is perfect."_

_"No one's perfect because no one had tried."_

_"Lulu-"_

_"No. You know its true. No one tries. I've been working on it since I was very young. I can be perfect."_

_"No, you can't. You're not perfect Lulu." __It struck her like a knife when he said that, raising his voice at her. Tears welled up in her eyes and quickly, Tadase realized what he had done. "Lulu, I-" __He didn't get to finish his sentence because she had pushed out her chair and ran upstairs. He ran after her up the stairs but was caught by the door slamming into his face. "Lulu, please open the door." Although he couldn't see it, he could easily hear her trying to keep her sobs quiet on the other side. "I'm sorry about what I said...But Lulu, no matter how hard _anyone_ tries, _no one_ will be perfect. People have tried but their feelings get in the way."_

_Lulu was sitting on the bed, crying into her hands, listening to what Tadase was saying. She wanted to be stubborn and say that that wasn't her. But something in her made her keep quiet. She heard him rest his head against the door and sigh._

_"Lulu, if you were perfect...I wouldn't love you." __She gasped and felt her heart leap into her throat, keeping her short of air. "I wouldn't be able to love you for the reasons I do."_

_She got up from the bed and opened the door. She smiled at Tadase with her tear-stained face, "I'm sorry."_

_Tadase smiled at her and pulled her into his arms, "You don't have to be sorry about being yourself."_

_~End of Flashback~_

It was one of her favorite memories of being with Tadase. And it was one of the memories she had of how he helped her change.

"Good morning, Mademoiselle Lulu."

She looked up, coming down from her thoughts, to see the red haired man, "Good morning, Monsieur Francious."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes. Thank you." She looked around him and noticed something, "Where are your children?"

"They had woken up before me. I'm not much of a morning person. And what about that man that came with you? Uh...Monsieur Horoti I believe?"

"Hotori, and he's still asleep. He...also isn't a morning person."

"Ah, I see. Will you accompany me down to breakfast?"

"Ano...I forgot something in my room. I'll just go get it. You go on without me."

"Very well."

He started walking down the hall and Lulu stepped back and around the corner. She rested against the wall, feeling her heart race. She's never felt so nervous in her life. _But I have to do this. To be with Tadase_.

Taking a deep breath, she made her way down to breakfast. Her fingers traced along the carved wood of the chairs when she reached the table. Already seated was Jaque and his kids on one side with her father at the head and her mother sitting next to him.

"Ah! Mon cher, come sit down. Jaque told us that you were awake," her father smiled at her and motioned to the chair next to Jaque.

_No_, she said bluntly through her eyes and casually walked over to the chair next to her mother. Everyone watched her, especially the little girl Emily, as she sat herself and began serving herself breakfast. In truth, she was trembling from all the eyes that were watching her.

"Well," started Jaque, clearing his throat, "I think we all know just what's going on right about now. Don't we, Mademoiselle Lulu?"

He smiled at her kindly, which relaxed Lulu very much about what she was about to do.

"Monsieur, Lulu had just arrived yesterday. We should give her-"

Jaque held up his hand, cutting Lulu's father off but not completely rude, "No, Monsieur de Morcerf. Your daughtry is grown and can make up her own mind. After all," his smile turn sad and his gray eyes looked at her with something, she's seen in many of her friends and her parents eyes, understanding, "She has found love."

~Upstairs~

His stomache clentched with the feeling of hunger, causing Tadase to wake up. He opened his ruby eyes and rolled onto his side to check the time. He realized that he wasn't asleep for long. He rubbed his eyes and sat up in the large bed. He sighed, feeling bad that he let Lulu go down alone. He didn't know what would happen but she just hypnotised him into falling back asleep.

Tadase got out of the bed and dressed comfortably for the day. When he stepped out of the room, he literally slapped his forehead.

"I have no idea where I'm going."

~Time Skip (well not much. Like 5 minutes)~

Tadase finally stumbled into the dinning room after walking around the second floor for a good 5 minutes or more. When he walked in, he noticed that Lulu was eatting with easy while Jaque sat across from her feeding his son and his daughter eating quietly.

Jaque noticed his presence and looked up smiling, "Ah, Monsieur Hotori, good morning."

"Uh...Good morning."

"Come eat. Food's almost cold."

Time passed with the five of them eatting breakfast. Lulu finished but stayed with Tadase. When Alexandre and Emily finished, Jaque stood up and excused himself from the table. Tadase watched him leave, confused, until Emily came running back into the dinning room. She walked around the table and stood by Lulu. Her cheeks were a shade lighter than her hair.

"Uh...Thank you, Lulu-san. For not taking Mother's place," she said in fluent Japanese.

What she said slowly sunk into Tadase's head,until he finally understood what she meant. _She said no to the marriage_.

Lulu smiled down at Emily, "You're welcome, Emily-chan."

Emily stood on her toes and quickly kissed Lulu on the cheek. When she stepped down, she glanced at Tadase and gave her a quick, but cute smile, and then ran out of the room.

Lulu turned to Tadase and started blushing at the smile he was wearing.

"What?" she pouted.

"Nothing. I just love you," he said and then kissed her to show it.

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**Yay! I finally finished this chapter! XD**

**I felt bad that Tadase and Lulu were kind of out of it since they're in France. So I dedicated this chapter to them =).**

**Hope you all liked it.**

**R&R plz**


	12. Teachers For A Day

**So now everyone knows how it went over in France ;D**

**Now let's move on back to Japan. Shall we?**

**I do not own Shugo Chara.**

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The famous Seiyou school was crowded with students filing out of its grounds. Elemantry schoolers, middle schoolers, and high schoolers filled the fields as they made their way home. At least some students were allowed to go home. A group of students were called for a special meeting in the legendary Royal Garden.

"What do you think Tsukasa-san wanted us for?" Ace chair, Yamamoto Kimi, asked as her chara, ChiChi, made a tiny braid with Kimi's dark brown hair.

"Who knows. I still say that he has more than one screw loose and we should call the looney bin," Jack's chair, Hanaki Daigo, said resting his head on his crossed arms on the table while his chara, Yuichi, drew a "tattoo" on his hand.

"Daigo, that's not nice," Queen's chair, Hanaki Aoi, frowned at her younger brother while her chara, Chiye, laid ontop of her head, asleep.

"Where's Norio? Usually he's the first one here," Joker, Ito Yoshikazu, asked, looking over his chair at the doors with his three charas, Ichiro, Jirou, and Saburo hanging onto his shoulders.

Just as he asked that, the doors opened to reveal the King's Chair, Oshiro Norio, walking in with his chara, Rio, and the founding King and principal, Tsukasa.

"Afternoon everyone," Tsukasa smiled at them. Daigo whispered something to Yuichi and then they both snickered before Aoi told them to be quiet. "I already know that you'd all like to know why I called this meeting."

"Yes," Kimi nodded.

"Well, Tsukasa-san was explaining to me how he's inviting the former Guardians to come to the school."

"Eh!" Aoi and Daigo said in surprised.

"Why do you want them to come?" Chiye asked since her owner was currently with her mouth open.

"I thought since many of them turned out very successful, they can come in a present themselves to the school and give them some lessons. You know, something like 'Parents day' except with them."

Everyone stared at the older man, except for Norio, speechless until Yoshikazu turned to Daigo and said, "Know I finally understand why you think he's crazy."

"Finally! Someone agrees!"

"But Tsukasa-san, why the sudden event?" Kimi asked.

He smiled at them all-knowingly, "Let's just say that the stars say so."

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"Nagi, did you start the sponge cake?" Amu asked placing the fresh batch of chara oatmeal cookies on the counter.

"Yeah. Those the party cookies that were ordered?" he asked looking over Amu's shoulder, wiping his floured hands on his apron.

"Yup." She looked around herself then put her fists on her hips, "I could of sworn I put the icing here. Did you move them, Nagi?"

"Nope. I'll ask Rima." He stuck his head around the corner of the doorway of the kitchen to where the counter was to see Rima at the regeister. "Rima, did you see the icing Amu had ready for the party batch?"

"The icing was for that? Tell her sorry, I accidently used the icing for another batch of cookies."

"'Kay." Nagi walked back into the kitchen where Amu was looking everywhere for the icing. "Sorry Amu, but your gonna have to make more icing. Rima used it for some other cookies."

"Dammit. Alright. Can you put these back in the oven to keep warm? Use the one that we just turned off."

"Alright."

Nagihiko was working on some creme brules and Amu had just finished making the new icings when Rima came back tying an apron around her waist. She stood at the counter tying her hair back then reached for a bowl.

"Who's at the register?" Amu asked, carefully "coloring" in the chara cookies.

"Haru."

"Akane with him?" Nagihiko asked.

Rima shook her head, "Apparently she promised the therapist yesterday that she'd go back. Looks like she's willing to get help."

"Akane's strong. She'll get better one way or another," Amu smiled, straighting up after finishing a Yoru cookie.

Rima and Nagihiko stopped what they were doing to look at the cookie.

"You know," Nagihiko started smiling, "I'm glad that we make these cookies."

"Me too," Amu nodded.

"We all miss our charas."

~Time Skip~

The cookies were done and the person that ordered them, came and picked them up. The bakery was starting to fill up now that school was over and people were getting off work. Kukai, Utau, and Ikuto walked in eventually since they had an appointment with the wedding planner but since Amu had work, Utau took her spot for her as well.

"Turns out Kiddy King and Lulu are on their way back," Ikuto told everyone up while Amu, Rima, Nagihiko, and Haru were on break up in the "loft"

"That's good. That means everythings okay with them," Utau smiled

"Yeah."

The bell went off signaling someone was at the counter.

Amu got up, "I'll get it."

She went down and then everyone started talking about whatever until she came back up soon after with Aoi and Daigo behind her.

"Hey, guys. How was school?" Haru asked.

"It was okay." Aoi shrugged.

"You dont have to go to the dojo today, Daigo?" Kukai asked while they knuckle touched, their usual greeting.

"Nope. We have off today."

"Where's Akane-nee?"

"Therapy," Haru simply said.

"Oh..."

"Aoi, tell them," Chiye floated up from behind her hair.

"Tell us what?" Rima asked now curious.

"Well, Tsukasa-san wants the former Guardians to come back to Seiyou for a day to 'teach' for a day. Or something like that."

Everyone groaned in annoyance.

"That man doesnt give up," Ikuto sighed.

"I cant wait until Tadase inherits the school," Utau shook her head.

"And you think I'm playing when I say that Tsukasa has a screw loose," Daigo crossed his arms and smirked at his sister.

"Oh, shut up," she laughed, pushing his away by the face.

"So when is this?" Nagihiko asked.

"Uh...Tomorrow."

"TOMORROW!"

* * *

Amu was seated in the drivers seat of Ikuto's car, steering the car down the road. Iktuo sat in the passenger seat with a visible tick mark on his forehead as he rested his cheek on his fist. Amu glanced at him from the corner of her eye and laughed, "Oh will you get over it?"

"No, I will not."

"You are such a child XD."

"Well-"

"Don't you dare say it."

"Why not? It was what we were doing," he said innocently.

Amu pouted, angry, but really her blush gave her away like always. Ikuto just chuckled. "Tadase and Lulu asked us to pick them up. We couldn't just say no," she went on.

"Yeah, we could've."

"Oh really? How?" she glared at him, now that they were at a light.

"Simple, you could've hanged up the phone and we could've continued where were at."

"You are soooo lucky I love you."

"I know. I tell myself that everyday ^^."

Amu blushed like mad but smiled at Ikuto's sweet words.

Eventually, they pulled up at the airport and waited outside the car looking for their two blond friends.

"Amu!"

"Ikuto-nii!"

The two turned in the direction of the voices and waved at Tadase and Lulu. They walked up to them with their luggage in tow. Amu and Lulu hugged and then Amu held her arms open for a hug from Tadase and Lulu did the same with Ikuto.

"Well, you guys must be tired."

"Not really."

"Oh good, so we can tell you that Tsukasa wants us back at Seiyou tomorrow morning."

They stared at Ikuto with a blank expression, "What?"

* * *

"I can't _believe_ we're doing this," Rima groaned slamming her head down on a desk.

"I left high school! I don't want to be back here!" Utau shouted.

"I'm going to kill Tsukasa if it's the last thing I do," Ikuto muttered with his head in his hands.

"I can't believe I'm related to him," Tadase shook his head.

Rima, Utau, Ikuto, Tadase, Nagihiko, Amu, Kukai, Akane, Lulu and Haru were scattered in a classroom of Seiyou's High School building. It was early in the morning, 6:30 in the morning to be exact and students don't start arriving until 7:15.

"I'm mad he wants Lulu and I to substitute for Yaya and Kairi," Haru sighed.

"Those two are lucky," Kukai said, "Why the hell did our school have to kick all of us off campus just to fix a few things?"

"Because life's a bitch," Nagihiko said.

"Well, someone's in a _happy_ mood," Akane looked up at him from where she sat, her eyes only half open.

"You're one to talk."

Akane stood up, quickly angered by his responce but Haru grabbed her and Rima said, "Don't bother, Akane. Nagihiko's not a morning person. He'll say a lot of crap."

Suddenly, the doors open and the new Guardians stood there. They blinked at the scene before them.

"Uh...Are we interrupting something?" Norio asked.

"No. We're just all cranky," Amu smiled at them.

"Oh. Well, Tsukasa wanted us to go over the instructions for the event today with you all. I'm Oshiro Norio, King's Chair. You all obviously know Queen and Jack's Chair Hanaki Aoi and Daigo. Yamamoto Kimi is our Ace's Chair and Ito Yoshikazu is our Joker. "

They all stared wide eyed at the Guardians standing in their uniforms and capes.

"Hes just like Tadase," Lulu pointed out.

"Its like a guy version of Amu!" Kukai pointed at Yoshikazu.

"Where's Yaya to see this girl?" Rima stared at Kimi.

Norio had short aqua hair and aluring yellow eyes that almost looked gold in the light. Compared to the guys in the group who were incredibly tall, Norio was only a head shorter. Kimi had shoulder length brown hair with deep green eyes. She has an adorable face that was lit up by the bow clip in her hair. Yoshikazu had strange orange color hair that was cut with the bangs swept to the side and had honey eyes. His lips were kept in a straight line while his outfit told the rest. His blazer was open to show his shirt and a blue tie with an x pin on it and chains on his pants.

"It's a little creepy how alike they are to us," Amu shivered a little.

"She's got a point," Yoshikazu stared Amu over and took a step back.

"Are we going to chat up all day or are we going to explain to them what's going to happen today?" Daigo cut in.

"Oh, right. Thank you, Hanaki-kun."

~Time Skip~

"NO."

"Eh?"

All at once, the Former Guardians started to shout over one another at the defenseless group of teenagers. Over the course of fifteen minutes, they listened attentively to the new King's words as he explained to them what they had to do. It was easy enough for them too do until Norio told them about Tsukasa's...idea.

"There is in _no _way that he's going to get _Us_ into _those_!" Ikuto shouted, pointing at the package in Aoi's arms.

Suddenly, Kimi walked up to Ikuto with tears in her eyes and sniffling. Ikuto cringed back at her sad puppy eyes. "You don't want to wear my outfits? I worked really hard on them with the sewing club."

Everyone started to feel back from Kimi's tears but Utau and Kukai shielded their eyes and Nagihiko and Rima sat there while everyone just fled back into a corner.

"Fake tears," the Rimahiko couple said in a monotone voice.

Immediantly, Kimi cut the tears and glared at the couple.

"Look," everyone turned their attention to Yoshikazu who sat behind Norio balancing on the back two legs of his chair, hands behind his head, "We know you guys don't want to do this. But our principal is a nut-job. And its only for a day. Not to mention, you've already wore outfits like those before. Suck up your pride and just wear the damn things."

All was quiet until Nagihiko nodded, "Yup, defiantly shares Amu's 'cool & spicy' act."

"But the kid has a point," Kukai sighed.

"I'm not a kid!"

"We should just get it over with."

"Fine."

* * *

Students walked into Seiyou, most ready for the school day while others wished they were back at home. Still, they all remembered the announcement Tsukasa made yesterday about reporting to the auditorm first thing in the morning. Soon, all students and staff were sitting in the auditorm talking up a storm about what the event could possibly be.

Tsukasa then walked up onto the stage with the Guardians and then what was heard were the squeals of girls and cries of guys as they stared at the good-looking group.

"Good morning, everyone. Today we have a special event and special guests."

Tsukasa stepped aside and let Norio take over. "Few years ago, the Guardians before us, created a peaceful school and helped solve many problems here at Seiyou. Today, those same Guardians are here to spend a day as our teachers." The students started talking again, more animated too. They sounded excited. "So know, let me introduce our teachers for the day."

In the wings of the stage, the so called 'teachers-for-the-day' were brooding over their outfits. The girls wore the girl's uniform but more matured. The skirts hugged their legs and went down to their knees. The shirts and ties were the same but the blazers were replaced by woman's coats. They were also given comfortable high heel shoes to finish off the look. The guys wore the boy's uniform as well. The blue plaided knee pants were made as full pants for them. Like the girls, they wore men's coats over the shirts and ties. They were also given freshly polished shoes. Although they didn't want to admit it, they all thought they looked pretty good for teachers. But they still muttered about the fact that their wearing the same uniform from years ago.

"First, is King's Chair, Hotori Tadase. He will be taking over Tsukasa's place for the day as principal." Tadase walked up the stairs calmly and stood by the podium and smiled at all the students. All the girls squealed at his "Prince" appearance.

"Good thing Kiseki's gone or we would've had to go find the bucket," Ikuto laughed.

"Next is Queen's Chair, Mashiro Rima. She will be our Home-Ec. teacher and will take over some of our drama classes." Rima walked up and kept her straight/bored face that she used back in middle school. It amazed the others that she still had that face. "Following is Jack's Chair, Fujisaki Nagihiko. He will be our Drama teacher and will take some of the gym classes as well." There was a lot of talk from the guys about Nagihiko being the gym teacher. They didn't think he looked all that athletic. But the girls found a liking to him but Rima glared at them all. "Unfortuanly, Ace's Chair, Yuiki Yaya could not attend. But to take her place is Lulu de Morcerf Yamamoto. She will be working as the Jewely teacher and will be taking some of the History and Language classes." As Lulu walked out, there was alot of questions about her. "Next we have King of Spade's Chair, Tsukiyomi Ikuto. He will be the Orchestra teacher and will take some of the business classes." So many girls screamed when Ikuto walked out. Hearts appeared in their eyes and the guys all crowded into a corner away from them. "After him is Queen of Heart's Chair, Tsukiyomi Utau. She will be our Music teacher." There was so many gasps of shock and cries of joy when Utau walked out. It was a reaction they all knew was coming. "Next is Jack of Diamond's Chair, Souma Kukai. He will be our Gym teacher." When they recognized Kukai as Utau's fiancee, the guys all groaned in disappointment, putting a smile on Kukai's face. "The Ace of Clover's Chair, Hanaki Akane, will be our English teacher." The students looked from Akane to Aoi and Daigo standing on stage and back. They couldn't see the resemblence which made them question if they were really related. "Like the Ace's Chair, the Deck's chair couldn't be here. But to represent him is Motou Haru. He will be the Art teacher." There were some reactions from the girls of how black Haru's eyes were but they found it aluring. "And lastly, the Joker, Hinamori Amu. She will be a homeroom teacher and will be a Gym teacher, Music teacher, Art teacher, and Home-Ec. throughout the day." Although Amu walked out with a bright smile, her friends knew just how miserable she was inside. Having to take over so many classes.

"Now that you have all met your teachers for the day, are their any questions for them?" Tsukasa asked.

Many hands went up and Tsukasa picked. The first one was a boy in the front row. He stood up and cleared his throat. "I have a question for the women."

"Go on."

"...Are any of you single?"

The girls smiled at the boy innocently but it was the guys who answered for them, "No, they're not."

After the boy's question, more hands went down. Tsukasa picked a girl from the back. She stood with a bright smile. "You all work at Mother Angel's Bakery, right?"

Rima smiled and nodded, "Yes. My parents opened the shop for me. Nagihiko, Amu, and Lulu are my employees but sometimes the others give a hand when we have our hands full."

Tsukasa picked another girl in the third row. She looked at Akane and she knew the question was for her. "Your name is _Hanaki_ Akane. Are you related to the Queen and Jack's Chair?"

"Yes, I am. They're my younger siblings."

"Hi, Akane-chan!" two girls in the back and three boys in the middle shouted waving their hands. Akane recognized them as Aoi's and Daigo's friends.

Next question came from a boy, "Why do you have so many chairs?"

They all stared at the student before turning and glaring at Tsukasa who smiled nervously against their glares. The students immediantly caught the message.

* * *

**This took me forever! But I finally finished it. I hope you guys liked it. Next chapter, we'll see just how the gang teaches and see what goes on in Seiyou now. **

**R&R plz.**


	13. Homeroom to Period 4

_Homeroom_

Students quickly filled in their homerooms, hoping they'll get one of the "substitute" teachers. The bell rang and the teachers walked into their rooms. Many students were disappointed. Except for the room Amu had.

Amu's POV

I stood in front of the room, nervous but I didn't let it show. I brought back the 'cool & spicy' facade I used when I attended Seiyou to keep calm. I waited for my homeroom to quiet down to start taking attendence but that didn't seem to be happening very soon_. _

_I'm so glad this is only for a day_.

"Oi!" Everyone immediately got quiet at how annoyed the I sounded. "That's better," I smiled, "As you all know from the introductions done downstairs, I'm Hinamori Amu. I'll be your homeroom teacher for today. I'm fine with whatever you'd like to call me. Are their any questions?"

A girl raised her hand. I looked down at the seating chart that was given to me, "Yes...Tetashi-san?"

"Uh...How come Hotori-san, was it?, that's principal and you're the only one with a homeroom?"

"Well, you see. Ta-Hotori-kun is actually Tsukasa-san's nephew. Once he finishes college and once Tsukasa-san retires, Hotori-kun will be inheriting this school. So, his uncle thought it would be good pratice to be principal for today. As for me, I'm not really sure why I got a homeroom."

"Oh."

"Hm. Any more questions?"

A boy raised his hand. "Chisaki-san?"

"So which one of those guys are you with?"

I couldn't help but laugh, "I'm with the blue haired man. Tsukiyomi-sensi. But a word of advice to all of you and tell you're friends. Don't mess with any of the new teachers and defiantly don't try flirting with them. Take this advice, and you might leave school in one piece."

Everyone in the room stared at me with wide eyes, chills going through some of them while I just smiled at them. The bell rang, signalling the end of homeroom. Needless to say, they all ran out of the room scared.

_1st Period_

Nagihiko's POV

Students started to calmly file into my classroom. It was just like I remembered it back in high school. A large drama room that had a stage for performing assignments and desks facing it. I felt good standing on the stage with my hands behind my back, watching my first class walk in. I felt like a real teacher. Suddenly, two students ran into the room with fear on their face.

_What's wrong with them?_

I walked up to them. A girl and boy who were trying to catch their breath. I placed a hand on their shoulders, causing them to jump. "Are you two okay?"

They glanced at each other, as if they didn't know if they could talk to me. The boy sighed and said, "Well, we had Hinamori-sensei for homeroom and she said...She said that if we dont mess with the new teachers and dont try flirting with them, we might leave school in one piece."

"I-Is that true...Fujisaki-sensei?" the girl asked, remembering my name.

I chuckled, _they obviously don't know Amu_. "Yes. What she said is true."

The look on their faces? Priceless.

Anyways, the bell rang and the two students took their seats as well as the others. And I took my place on stage.

"Morning everyone. I'm Fujisaki-sensei and I'm you're drama teacher for today. As well as the gym teacher for period four and six."

"You don't look very athletic," said one of the boys in the back who looked like one of those kids who didn't give a damn.

"And you don't look like you should be in a drama class," I smirked. There were some 'ooooh's and what not as the kid blushed in embarrasment. "So anyways, let's get started with attendence." After taking two minutes to do that, I started the class. "So, what are you guys working on?"

"We're working on Julius Ceasar. We were suppose to present our group parts today but...yeah" said Gakusha-chan.

"Really? Well, since I'm here, how about you all go up and do a rehearsal and I can give you some pointers? How does that sound?"

The class nodded and started talking in agreement. Then Hida-kun raised his hand. "How well can you help us with our parts?"

"Well, since I was three I've been acting and I come from a family of dancers so I've had my share of being on stage and preforming. I think I can help you all fairly well."

"Cool!"

~20 minutes later~

I sat down on the stage with my hands folded. I took deep breaths while the class waited for me to tell them what I thought about their group preformances. _How do I tell them nicely?_ Then, something in me snapped. I heard a familiar 'ping' and my body suddenly was boiling with rage. It was crazy! But it was all so familiar. _What's going on?_

"THAT WAS TERRIBLE! ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE! NONE OF YOU WERE PUTTING ANY HEART INTO YOUR ACTING AND MANY OF YOU WEREN'T EVEN PAYING ATTENTION FOR YOUR LINES! DISHONOR! DISHONOR ON YOUR WHOLE FAMILY! Make a note of this. DISHONOR ON YOU! DISHONOR ON YOUR COW!" **(A/N: ring any bells? ;D)**

That last part, I stopped ranting and looked out at the class. They were all cowering in fear and some stared at me like I was crazy. I ran my hand through my hair but stopped when I felt something in it. _Flowers?_ Ignoring that, the door burst open to an enraged Rima.

"HOW DARE YOU, PURPLE-HEAD!" She stomped up to me and I noticed two things. She brought her Home-Ec class with and on her face were a green tear drop under one eye and a green star under the other. "IF YOU THINK I'M GOING TO TAKE THAT KIND OF SHIT FROM YOU, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!"

"What the hell, Rima!"

"You think that you could hide something like that from me? Just HOW long did you think you could hide you're little...affair from me?"

"Rima...I don't know what you're talking about. What affair?"

She pressed her hands to my chest and pushed me. I lost my footing and fell off the stage, landing on my ass.

"What affair? What _affair_? You know what, Fujisaki Nagihiko?" She raised her left hand and started pulling the engagement ring I gave her off. "You can have this fuckin' ring back! You bastard! I hate you!" She threw the ring at me. By now, tears were falling down her cheeks.

Both classes started calling me an ass and booing me but I got up and grabbed Rima's wrist as she was turning around. "Rima, please. I really don't know what you're talking about. You're the only girl for me. There's no other girl. Please, listen to me."

She hid her eyes behind her bangs and her arm went limp in my hand. Her voice was a little whisper but everyone was all ears, "You really mean that? But I could've sworn you were with-"

"I promise-No-I swear, there is no other women. There never was." I pulled her arm and then wrapped my arms around her petite body.

Then there was clapping and cheering coming from our classes. While they were getting to the peek of their cheering, Rima and I pulled apart and smirked at our classes.

"I see you all liked our little performence," I said.

"EHHHHH!"

"But-!"

"And she-!"

"When did you-!"

"Fujisaki-sensei here," Rima started and everyone quiet down to listen, "Texted me during your rehearsals how terrible you all are so he suggested we show them just how acting is done."

"You tricked us?" asked Suzuki-kun, the boy who said I didn't look athletic.

"No, we acted."

After the shock, the students started to compliment us and my class got back into their groups to fix their performances to be better.

"Well, we're heading back to the kitchens. We have cupcakes in the oven," Rima said turning to leave but I stopped her by spinning her back around so that she spun into my chest. I looked down at her blushing face and smiled, "I think you're forgetting something."

"Oh? And what would that be?" she asked, smiling back at me.

Carefully, I slipped the ring back onto her finger. Her smile grew wider as she felt the smooth metal settle on her skin. She lightly pushed me away and giggled then left the room with her class. I chuckled.

When I turned back to the class, I noticed that they were watching. So I smirked, "And that, my dear gentlemen, is how you get the girl."

The bell rang, ending the period. As they left, I felt through my hair again but didn't feel the flowers, but as my hands were coming down from my head, they rested on something around me neck. _Headphones?_ Suddenly, it hit me. I started searching myself. Feeling my shirt, my pants, then my pockets. Thats when I felt them. From each pocket, I pulled an egg. I stared at the blue and pink eggs until they there was a crack in each.

_Pop~!_

"Yo!"

"Nagihiko!"

_2nd period_

Rima's POV

Last period was fun when Nagihiko and I performed for his class. It was funny. He left it up to me to pick something to act and he'll pick up on it when I get there. So, I remembered what happened after I found about his batroval and just worked off that. I can't wait to take over the fourth and sixth period drama classes while Nagihiko is at gym. But what was strange was while we were "fighting", something in me felt weird, but familiar. I felt like laughing like crazy and doing the Bala-Balance.

Anyways, my next class was walking in when I recognized two faces. They walked in together and sat down at the same table. _I guess they're in the same kitchen_. I walked up to them. "Aoi-chan, I didn't know you took foods. And apparently so does the King's chair. What did you say you're name was?"

"Norio. Oshiro Norio, Mashiro-sensei."

"Oshiro-kun...You're a lot like Tadase, the King before you."

"Really?" he blushed in embarrasment.

"I don't know. Let me check. Aoi, does he ramble off during meetings?" Her cheeks flared up and she looked at Norio uncomfortably. I laugh, "I'm gonna take that as a yes."

"Hanaki-san, is it true? Do I ramble off during meetings?" he asked, pulling out puppy eyes.

I watched as Aoi started to stumble over her words but then let her head hang in defeat. I cocked in eyebrow at this. _I remember Amu used to act like this around Tadase back in middle school...Interesting._

The bell rang and I turned to walk back to my desk. With my back turned to the class as I was writing on the board, I noticed a kid trying to sneak in. I took one of the erasers and chucked it at him. I was never a good athlete but somehow, I managed to hit my target. It left a white chalk print in his blue-black hair and he turned to me looking pissed and a little shocked.

"What was that for?"

"You're late," I crossed my arms.

"Uh..Yeah...Well, you see, there was a...a llama! Yeah, a llama, in the hall and a bunch of kids got caught looking it and then this one girl tried to put a sweater on it-!"

_He's trying to be funny_, I thought as I heard some kids laugh. Then something in me just snapped, it was like when I was acting with Nagihiko. But this time I was pissed.

"DO YOU THINK YOU'RE FUNNY! YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO COMEDY!"

The kid stared at me wide eyed, and so did the rest of the class until he's eyes narrowed, "Oh yeah? And what do you know about comedy? You're just a foods teacher."

"Ooooooooooooh!"

_Oh, he did **NOT** go there. _"Oh, it's on like Donkey-Kong!"

Some the students laughed at what I said. _Obviously. A twenty year old saying something like? Why not?_

"What's the difference between roast beef and pea soup?"

"Anyone can roast beef," I answered quickly. "Where do you get virgin wool from?" No one answered and it was obvious that the kid was trying to answer it. "Ugly sheep."

Laughs.

"A dyslexic man walks into a bra."

_Hm, kids got some jokes_, I think as some kids laugh _, But they're too complicated for some of the students to understand. _"Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent."

"What do you call a fish with no eyes?"

"Fsh. Lame~!"

The kid bit his lip but continued but he went to a knew level. "What do you call a brunette between two blondes?...Lucky!" _Blonde jokes )X He's trying to piss me off!_ "What does a blond and a beer bottle have in common? They're both empty from the neck up."

"What's black and blue and lying in a ditch? A CERTAIN SOMEONE WHO HAD TOLD ONE TOO MANY DUMB BLONDE JOKES!"

By now, I'm pretty sure, I scared the class.

_Don't worry, Rima-chan, you can always make people laugh._

That voice!

"That's it! Bala-Balance!"

My eyes filled with furry! "WRONG! ALL WRONG! Your knee isn't at the right angle! Neither are your arms! And you're balance is completely off! Wrong, wrong wrong!"

"If you know it so well, you do it!"

Without hesitating, I did the pose perfectly and at that moment, I heard something crack. No it wasn't my back or anything. Suddenly, something did a flip in front of my face. _KUSUKUSU!_

"RIMA!"

Kusu Kusu, hid in my hair and I went back to standing. At the door, Lulu stood there looking annoyed. "Can you keep your comedy show to the minimum? We can hear you from down the hall!"

I pulled my eyelid down and stuck my tongue out at her.

"You're such a child," she teased me.

She walked away laughing so I turned back to the kid. He looked a upset.

"Hey." He jumped at my voice directed at him. "What's your name?"

"Yuta. Mizuki Yuta."

"You want to do comedy?" He blushed but nodded. "Well, you're off to a good start but you need better material. Those are some of the oldest jokes in the book. If you really want to get people to laugh, make jokes that they can understand and relate. Those are the funniest."

"Oh..."

"But I appreciate the challenge. It was fun."

"You mean 'funny'?"

I laughed, "Yeah. That too."

I could feel Kusu Kusu peek out from my hair and smile at me. _It's good to have you back, Kusu Kusu. I've missed you._

_But I never left ^^._

_3rd Period_

Lulu's POV

Crazy Rima and her comedy. Does she have to be so loud!

"Ano...Sensei?" I quickly straightened up and turned to the student that was standing next to me. He was staring at me like I was odd then I realized why he was starin at me like that. "Are you okay? You sounded pretty angry while you were talking to yourself."

I blushed in embarrasment, "Uh...yes, well...J-Just take your seat."

He shrugged and then sat down at one of the tables. In the past two periods, there have only been one or two boys in each class and I thought it was sort of strange because they didnt look like jewelers. But this guy, he had at least three piercing in each ear, a lip ring, and a few rings studdin his fingers. Oh well.

The bell rang so I walked to the front of the room. On my way passing the tables, I noticed that the current Ace had this class. She was rather cute. She reminds me of Yaya when they were Guardians. Although the difference is that Yaya wanted to be a baby. Judging by her chara that was resting on her head, she wants to be cute.

Anyways, "Mornin' everyone, I'm Yamamoto-sensei. I'll be your jewelry teacher today."

I let them start on the assignment their teacher left me. I walked around making sure they were doing okay when I stopped at a table. The girl was working the wire into an elegant style that I haven't seen in a long time.

"What a unique style."

She jumped a little in her seat. She was so into the working of the wire she didn't notice me standing behind her. She looked up at me with ruby eyes that sparkled in the light and short cropped silver hair that framed her hair elegantly. "Oh. Yeah, it's-"

"Victorian, right?"

"You know of it?" her lips parting into a surprised smile.

I nodded, "I know it, but I'm still trying to perfect my curves. They always end up coming out a little riget."

"I can teach you."

"Alright."

I sat down and let her showed me the technique she uses to make the curves. I watched and then tried it myself. The first few still came out riget but i continued then something in me felt warm. Working with jewelry again. I haven't been able to make any new ones because I've been working with dough and traveling between Japan and France. It felt great. Then, there was a familiar sound

_~ping~_

My hand became steadier and the curves started to come out the way I wanted them too. And I felt proud of it.

When i finished, I put down the curved wire and looked back at the student who's name was Rubi. She was smiling shyly at me and then went back to work. I got up and went back to looking around when I felt something in the pocket of my skirt. Taking it out, I had to hold back a gasp of happiness. I turned my back to the class as the jeweled egg cracked.

_~ping~_

"Lulu!"

"Nana!" I whispered/cried. I hugged her to my cheek as she giggled. "Oh, Nana. I'm so happy to see you."

The bell rang ending the period. Nana floated out of my hand and settled herself on my shoulder. Everyone put away their stuff and then started walking out. Rubi stopped in front of me and said good-bye. Then Kimi-chan walked up to me, smiling kindly with her hands behind her and her chara hanging on a single braid in Kimi's hair.

"Thanks, Yamamoto-san."

"Thanks? For what?"

"For Rubi. She rarely ever talks. Scratch that, she doesn't talk at all. Some of us have tried to make friends with her but she would just stare at us blankly and go back to doing whatever she was doing. You really got through to her. I just wanted to thank you."

Sincerely, I smiled at her, "Ya very welcome."

_Period 4_

Kukai's POV

"Okay! Out of the locker room, guys!" I shouted into the locker room. with Nagihiko standing next to me with the attendance sheet. After his third period class, he came straight down to the gym and changed into the sweats the Guardians had ready for us. They surprising fit very well. Not only that, Nagihiko told me about Temari and Rhythm. The three of them looked happy to be together again. Although Temari was hiding in her egg to keep from seeing the guys from changing.

"Yeah! Let's play some basketball!" Rhythm cheered.

"Sorry, Rhythm, Nagihiko's got the elementary students on the t-bars."

"-_- why do we have to get the kids?"

"Because I volunteered," Naghiko chuckled.

"Man! DX"

We walked out of the locker room and looked around the gym at our classes. Amu was standing outside of the girl's locker room with her whistle in between her lips blowing. "Come on girls! Get your butts out here! Let's have some fun!"

_Uh-oh_. Nagihiko and I jogged up to Amu who was happier than usual. She turned to us with this bright blinding smile, "Hey, guys! Ready to get some excersice? I can't wait to get them on the track!"

"Amu, are you feeling okay?"

_~ping~_

"Wha-Ran!" Coming out from behind Amu, was Ran. She was giggling nervously.

"Ran came back too!" I asked.

"Too?" Temari and Rhythm floated out in front of us and hugged Ran. "Temari and Rhythm! When they come back?"

"First period during my drama class," Nagihiko smiled.

"When did Ran hatch?"

"On my way here. I was running because I was going to be late and I was in the middle school building, subbing for one of the teachers. So then suddenly, I was running faster than I have in so long. Then I found out it was Ran."

"One hell of a reunion," I grinned.

"But why are they coming back now?" Nagihiko asked.

Then we turned our attention to the charas floating in between us.

"We'd figure we'd visit. That so bad?" Rhythm smirked.

We smiled at them and then thought we should get the class started.

"Middle schoolers with me! We're heading out onto the track!" Amu shouted over the talking students. A large number of them groaned and moaned as they made their way outside. "Yeah, you can moan all you want, that's not going to get you anywhere," she said putting her hands on her hips, standing by the door.

"Elementary, we're on the T-bars," Nagihiko waved at them with his attendence book. The small kids walked over to him and followed him out.

I kicked the soccer ball up off the ground and caught it then blew the whistle. All the high schoolers looked over at me and i grinned, "We're also going outside. Hope you guys are ready for some soccer."

As we walked out we can already see the middle schoolers running their laps on the track with Amu standing at the start recording their times. Looking over at the T-bars, I can see Nagihiko hanging upside down on the T-bars, showing the elemantry students how to spin. It was actually really funny looking at him.

But anyways, "Alright, last names from A to G is team 1. H to O is team 2. P to T is team 3. U to Z is team 4. Got it? 'Cause teams 1 and 4 are up first. Team 1 on my left, team 2 on my right. Let's get a move on." Once the teams were on the field and ready, I put the ball into play and stayed back as ref.

_~Time Skip~_

Team 2 and 3 are currently on the field and man is it intense! On team 2 is Kamura Hisako and that girl alone is basically playing against team 3. She'd steal the ball away from them and is always scoring. I've blown the whistle three times already to get her off the field and go to the nurse to get her skid marks checked. She brushed me off and continued playing.

Now, she currently has the ball and is trying to get pass defense. She got around the guy blocking her but then ran into another guy, Miyagi Tomeo. They both fell pretty hard. I blew the whistle to stop the game and ran out towards them to see is they're okay. By now, I can hear Amu and Nagihiko's class watching us from above the field.

I crouched down and helped the two to sit up. Hisako brushed her uniform off and got up but I noticed her wince when she got on her legs. _I told her to go to the nurse_. I turned my attention to Tomeo. He was holding his head in pain. "Miyagi-san, you okay?"

He opened his eyes and blinked a few times but closed them tightly again, "I-I'm seeing double."

"Aw man, you might have a concussion. Someone help him over to the nurse!"

A friend of his stepped out and helped him off the field and into the building. Soon, Amu and Nagihiko were by my side.

"Everything okay?" Amu asked.

"He fell. Probably hit his head pretty hard, he's seeing double."

"Concussion maybe," Nagihiko frowned.

"Most likely."

"Souma-sensei." I turned around to face Hisako. She wasnt looking too happy. "Are we finishing the game?"

"Team 3 are out of two players."

"Then call someone from the other teams."

I looked around but noticed that no one wanted to play. Then I got an idea. "I think I'll play. What do you think, Nagihiko?"

"Hm...Sounds like fun."

"Kukai, Nagi, that's not far. You can't play against them. That's not fair," Amu crossed her arms.

"Let them, sounds interesting," Hisako smirked and she looked alot like Utau.

"Fine. Then I might as well play as well, fair match. Someone has to switch out with me." Quickly, one of the girls on team 2 ran off the field and ran to her friends sitting on the grass. We stared at her oddly but then Amu shouted, "Thanks."

"With that out of the way, let's play."

* * *

**Okay. **

**I**

**AM**

**SO**

**SORRY!**

**I Know i havent updated since like october i think but i've had a lot of school work to do and a bunch of drama was pulled into and crap and...I'm just sorry! It took me forever to put this up. I hope you all liked this chapter. It's only half because I'm never going to finish this whole chapter if I wrote all I wanted too. So the next chapter is part 2. 'kay? okay.**

**Again, I'm so sorry!**

**R&R plz**


	14. Period 4 to End of the Day

Both teams got ready as the new players joined. Nagihiko and Amu's classes joined the rest of Kukai's class to watch the new teachers play. Many already knew that Kukai and Nagihiko we're athletic although Nagihiko was teaching elemantry students. But when they looked at Amu...they didn't think she had a chance.

One of the highschoolers, took the soccer ball and stood in the middle where Hisako and Kukai were ready. He dropped the ball and was put into play. Tricking Kukai, Hisako managed to reach the ball before him and was already heading towards his goal with Amu running not that far away. Dodging a large number of players, Hisako was getting pretty far in onto the field when Nagihiko showed up.

_Tk, the goal's right there, _she hissed in her head.

Nagihiko slide in time to kick the ball out from underneath Hisako but had sent it up into the air. The ball now airborn, Amu ran up and jumped high enough to kick the ball into the goal. The goalie missed it by far, giving the girl's the point.

Hisako looked up at Amu who was helping her up and grinned.

Kukai was helping up Nagihiko, his breathing a little uneven now.

"They got lucky that time. Game point!"

The ball was put back into play and this time, Kukai had the ball. He was jumping over players and running faster than the students could possibly catch them. Except for Hisako. He quickly noticed that she was on his tail. The adrenaline and the slight fear of having the ball stolen from him sent familar shivers down his spine. Sure, the college guys were good but this girl was presistant, a sports-lover.

_She's like you_.

The voice almost caused him to fall over and miss the goal. But he got his balance back. He got ready to make the goal but Hisako came up and circled him, stealing the ball but then-

_~ping~_

His feet reached back far and caught the ball before Hisako could run. He slipped it between her legs and took it for himself and quickly kicked it into the goal.

"GOAL!"

The call of the end of the game by the students felt amazing to Kukai's hyped body. He struck his thumbs-up pose for no apparent reason and grinned.

"Good job, Kukai!" Nagihiko smiled.

"Man! We could've won," Amu pouted but then noticed something in his hair. "Hey! You che-MMMMHHH!"

"What was that Amu-chan?" Nagihiko said innocently, covering her mouth.

Kukai brought his hand up to his hair and found the old clip that hasn't appeared in his hair five years ago. He searched himself, reaching into his pocket and finding the blue stared egg. It cracked and out came an old friend.

"Yo! Awesome job, Kukai."

"Daichi!"

"Souma-senpai?" Kukai hid Diachi back in his pocket, the green haired chara crying out in protest, and turned to Hisako. She held out her hand to him and grinned, "It was a lot of fun playing with you."

"You too."

_Can I come out of the pocket now? _

Kukai couldn't help but laugh.

_Period 5_

Utau's POV

"That was the most fun I've had at gym in like ever!"

I was sitting at the piano, playing a small piece when I heard three guys walk into the room talking about gym.

"Right? =D And what was her name was really good. She almost beat Souma-senpai!

"Kamura Hisako. I think I heard that she's trying to get a sports scholarship."

I smiled at their conversation. The music room is on the third floor and has a good view of the field. Last period, it got really loud outside so we went to the window to check it out and we ended up watching the game. The Kamura girl really was something. A lot like Kukai.

_Brrrrrrr!_

I walked over to the door and closed it before starting class. It was a pretty small class.

And they were all gapping -_-.

"Yes, I'm really Hoshina Utau so let's just get it all out. Come on. Let it out. You have five seconds."

They either screamed or started speaking really fast or both. I watched the clock.

_5...4...3...2...1_

"Alright! That's enough!" They got quiet. "Perfect. Now, welcome to Music. You can call me Tskiyomi-senpai/san or Hoshina-san. Either one is fine. And yes, the blue hair guy is my brother. No, we don't look alike but we are related. Yes, Souma-senpai is my fiancee. And no, I will not sign any autographs or take any pictures. Any questions?" Silence. "Good. Let's beginning.

"Your teacher left me your assignment. Apparently you were all suppose to learn a song, old or new, and perform it."

"Yes."

"Alright. Are there any volunteers?" They just stared at me. "Oh come on. No one?" Some were fidgeting in their seats or avoiding my eyes. "I see how it is. Well, I guess I'm going to have to pick randomly." Picking up the attendance list, I picked the first name that caught my eye.

_This should be fun_.

~Time Skip~

The last kid just went. And let me tell you, some were good, some were okay, and some were amazing. I wouldn't be surprised if I found them singing as a career soon.

"I have to say, there's some talent in here," I smiled at them and they beamed.

I felt all fuzzy about the way they were smiling at me but then I felt like messing with them. "But you'll never be better than me ;P."

Some chuckled while others were a little discouraged. Then i felt bad but then I didn't. Then I did. Then I didn't. WTF! I'm i turning bipolar! Or is just the hormones from being pregnant?...UGH!

_Relax, Utau. Chehehehehe~_

_Yes, you shouldn't worry. My love radar is telling me that they all love you! Love love love!_

_Shut up, Eru!_

_Wah! _

"I'm getting dizzy ." I said to myself realizing now that it was Iru and Eru's fault..._Crap their back._

_That's not nice to say._

_But you're not nice Iru._

_Shut up, Eru!_

"Hoshina-san, are you okay?"

_~ping~_

"Course I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? Either way it's none of your business," I said, sounding pretty mean.

_~ping~_

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. Yes, I'm fine, thanks for asking."

_I sound fuckin' bipolar!_ I looked out at the class and they were looking at me like I've lost my mind. I sighed, letting my arms fall to my sides and thats when i felt them. And I just thought that they were just in my head. I reached into my pockets and pulled out the baby pink and magenta laced eggs and smiled.

"What are those?"

I smiled at the class, "Something special."

_Sing Utau!_

_Yeah, sing! Cheheheheh~!_

"Hoshina-san, is it alright if...you sang a song for us?"

"Hm...I'm fine with it but let me call someone to sing with me." I walked outside the room and down a few rooms. Looking through the window, I can see Akane with a book in her hand, smiling as she read and the class with their eyes closed, listening. I opened the door, "Sorry to interrupt." Akane stopped reading and everyone opened their eyes and gacked at me.

"Hey, Utau."

"Hey. I need a favor."

"A favor?"

"Yeah. Come sing with me for my class."

"Sing! But Utau-"

"No buts!"

"Utau, I'm not ready to sing again yet."

"Yes you are. You sang...then. There's no problem now. Come on. It'll do you some good."

"*sigh* Alright..."

"You guys can come too =)," I told the class.

They all got excited and pulled Akane down into my classroom. My class was confused by Akane and her class walking in but they quickly ignored it when everyone sat down. I took out my phone and called Haru and he soon showed up.

He walked into the room his hands having some splotches of paint on them, "So you want me to what?"

"Play guitar," I pointed at the electric guitar in the corner of the room.

He stared at me then shrugged, "Alright. What am I playing?"

"There are some notes on the piano."

"'Kay."

"Akane, you play bass?"

"Hm. Sure."

"Then lets get started. You'll pick up the words ;)"

She rolled her eyes playfully, "You and Haru just love to do this to me."

"Haru."

He started playing the notes that I had written during the periods because I was bored and Akane played bass.

**(Okay, so the song is Last Kiss by Fireflight. I know there's drums but I'm not gonna bother Utau with that lol. Utau is Bold, Akane is **_Italic_**, Both is _Bold Italic_)**

**Look the sun is rising I can taste the end  
Wake up my sleepwalkers it's time for you to scatter.  
The kiss of death, fresh on his lips  
The enemy brings his best.  
Yes I will submit I'll bend before you now.**

**Hit me again I know who I am  
Hit me again the power is mine  
Hit me again my blood's not my own  
Where are your nails now?**

Quickly, Akane made up the next verse.

_Salty sweat stings my wounds  
Burning with the heat of your hate  
Wounded for your transgressions I lift up the weight  
I carry death to the alter  
And I sacrifice myself_

_**Hit me again I know who I am  
**__**Hit me again the power is mine  
Hit me again my blood's not my own  
Where are your nails now?**_

I didn't write the next notes for Haru and Akane here because I didn't get to it but Haru made them up on his own. And it was great! He really is amazing on the guitar and I didnt really know Akane could play. Both classes were enjoying the guitar solos as they were reaching its peaks and when we started singing, they cheered.

**_Hit me again I know who I am  
Hit me again the power is mine  
Hit me again my blood's not my own  
Where are your nails now!_**

"That was great, Utau!"

"Iru?"

"It was super lovely!"

"Eru?"

The two of them were floating next to me and I couldn't help but smile. They rested on my shoulders close to my cheeks. I really did miss them.

_~Period 6~_

Akane's POV

After singing with Utau, I felt completely drained. I went back to my classroom without saying anything but I could feel Haru and Utau watching me. I didn't want to worry them but I didn't have the energy to hide my exhaustion. Hell, the students in the next class are watching me and wondering what to do. I'm sitting at my desk with my hand on my forhead, eyes closed.

The bell rang and I let out a long sigh. _Come on, Akane. You can do this. Just three more periods._

I pushed my chair back and stood up. Taking a deep breath, I gave a kind smile, "Afternoon, everyone. I'm Hanaki-senpai and I'll be your English teacher today. How many of you have had some of the other new teachers?" A number of hands went up. "That's good. Well, let's beginning."

"W-wait! Hanaki-sempai?"

"Yes...?" I looked out at the class and settled on a boy that sat by the window. If I had to compare his looks to anyone, I'd say he looks like the male version of Kasumi. Not even Daigo years ago, when he dressed up as Kasumi's brother, looked close to being her brother as this student.

"Uh...A-Ando Kiyoshi."

"Ando-san...Well, you have a question?"

"Ano. W-well, yes. I-I wanted to know..." He started to shy away. I couldn't help but watch. He noticed that his body was trembling a little from nerves and that his eyes moved from me to the desk.

Then, the most amazing thing happened.

"Go on, Kiyoshi-kun."

"Yeah, ask her."

"Don't worry. She seems nice."

The class was...helping him. Encouraging him to speak. I was completely moved. My smile grew into a sincere one. "Ando-san." I waited for him to look up at me. "You wanted to know what?"

His cheeks turned a light hue of pink. Almost like Amu's hair. "I-I wanted t-to know if you are _the_ Hanaki Akane that wrote 'Night Within'."

_That's my book_. "Yes, that's me." His eyes widen and his lips pulled up into a smile. "How do you know about it? I only had it published in America. I haven't published it in Japan yet."

"I-I was in America when you published it."

"Kiyoshi-kun loves reading," said a girl sitting next to him.

"Yup, he's always reading," the guy sitting behind him stood up over his desk and pulled a book out from Kiyoshi's desk, "Never comes to class without a book."

"He got so excited during the assembly when he heard your name."

"I-Iku-chan!"

"What? You know it's true. Don't be so embarrased, Ki-kun. If she's anything like the other teachers, she must be nice."

_Hm? Ki-kun? Iku-chan? These two are close_. I looked at Kiyoshi who was blushing like mad as Iku smiled at him. _And it seems there's a connection._

"Well, Kiyoshi-kun," he looked at me surprised when I used his first name, "I'm flattered that you know my book. I hope you enjoyed it."

"Enjoyed it? It was amazing! I've read so many books and many have moved me to tears and so has 'Night Within'. The way you were able to put all those feelings on paper? I...I...I dont even know what to say!"

By now he was out of breath from being so excited and he was still smiling. Me? I was stunned. I've had amny people compliment my book back in America but never, NEVER has anyone told me they loved it like Kiyoshi did just now. And I felt...relieved? I didn't even know. But what I did know was that I felt incredibly happy. You know that fuzzy feeling people talk about when you're happy? Yeah, that's how I felt. So what did I do? I walked over to Kiyoshi and hugged him. The class started giggling and making noises when I hugged him. When I pulled away he was flushed, he looked like he was goin to faint.

"W-What was t-t-that for?"

"A thank you."

"F-For what?"

"Hm...I'm not really sure myself."

Yup, that's when he fainted. I caught him in time and the guy sitting behind him helped me sit him down at his desk. Iku came over to make sure he was comfortable which was really cute. Then my eye caught something. His notebook that was poking out of his desk. I dont know why but I took it out and started flipping through it.

_"I didn't know what I was expecting that day, running in late to school but thinking back, I'm glad I was late. I ran into the girl that was unexpectedly going to change my life. Her long brown hair that I'll soon learn that she hates." _"...Senpai?"_ "Her hazel eyes that can never hide her emotions. Her plump pink lips that look as soft as they feel._" "Ha...npai?"_ "Her pale flawless skin that gives her a fraigle apparence that she uses to her advantage. This girl who I now know is the girl I will fall in love with for the first time._" "...nki-se...?"_ "And my story begins here..."_

"Hanaki-senpai!"

"Huh?"

"What are you reading?"

I looked from the book to Iku and back at the book and quickly closed it. "Oh nothing."

She gave me a confused look but shrugged it off. I then took the notebook and turned to a clean page and borrowed a pen from one of the students.

_"Dear Kiyoshi-kun,  
I'm glad that you enjoyed my book. I went through a lot just writing it. And having read just a small portion from this notebook of your's  
I assume you also want to be a writer. Well, I wish you luck because I think you have potential. I'll be looking forward to reading one of your books  
and I hope you'll continue to look out for mine. If you need any help with publishing, give me a call or call my manager. ;) I'm sure she'll be willing  
to help a writer in need. _

_-Sincerely, Hanaki Akane_

_P.S: You have a lot of people supporting you. I hope that the day we meet again, we have both pulled through our problems. 'Till then."_

"There..."

_"That was very nice of you, Aka." _

That voice...

"_Shhh. Yes, it's me. Lila."_

"Lila...Oh, Lila." I felt ready to cry. It's been so long since I've heard Lila's voice and thinking of her, made me think of Yuka in my pocket.

_"You're strong, Akane. You will get better. But for today, I'm only visiting._"

"Where are you?" I felt something wiggle in my pocket. Looking down, Lilla poked her tiny head out. She looked up at me with those emeralded colored eyes that I lost and smiled.

"Hanaki-senpai, are you alright? You're crying."

"I'm fine. ^^"

_I'm fine._

_~Period 7~_

Ikuto's POV

I'm glad that Miyamoto-senpai is still teaching here at Seiyou. Many of the classes sounded really good. Sure, there were some students that need more practice and we're off key or tempo but other wise, still good thou.

"I'm sitting next to the podium!"

"Are you stupid, why the hell do you care if you sit next to the podium or not?"

"Because then the new teacher can hear how well I can play."

"Yeah, right. You sound like a dying cat on that violin. He's a professional violinist. He wouldn't look at you even for a second."

"Shut up! At least I have a chance. You're on the stupid celo!"

"You take that back!"

_Ugh! Shut the fuck up! I can hear you from down the hall!_

The two loud mouths walked into my classroom and I was actually really surprised. By the way they were talking to each other, I figured they were rivals. Instead, they were ferternal twins. They both had the same black/gray hair, the girl's curling down her back while the boy had his short hair tied back in a low ponytail, the same golden eyes, same everything. They were identical. It was a little creepy when I thought back to Nagihiko cross dressing. Those two can switch places and no one would know...Actually, crossing dressing doesnt sound so bad if it can get me out of work or something...Note to self: stop hanging out with Nagihiko.

The bell rang and everyone started to settle into their seats with their instruments. A lot of the students were very calm, obviously it was the girls that were whispering as they eyed me up and down but I tried to ignore that. But, what I was getting annoyed by were the twins shoving each other in their seats. Like, come on, you're highschoolers. Grow up.

"Is there a problem?" They froze in mid-shove and slowly looked up at me. When they saw just how annoyed I was, they settled in their seats and took their rest positions. "I thought so." I turned back to the orchestra, raised my baton and they all went into the ready positions. Lowering the baton, they started. The violins started off soft as the celos played in. I was basically keeping an eye on the twins to see what they'll pull but they were pretty into the music. Quickly glancing down at the attendance, I found their names. Nao and Naomi.

_What a pair -_-._

Then in the middle of the piece, someone went completely offtune. And stayed off tune.

"Ah!" I cut them to stop and covered my ears. My poor sensitive...cat ears? I felt them up to the end and yanked them a little only to flinch in pain. The class was staring at me by now in complete bewilderment.

"He has cat ears."

"Look! It's a tail!"

I looked behind me to see that I do indeed have a tail...This is going to be so fun to explain. "Uh...just ignore the cat features, they're not real. Anyway, one of you is offtune. Very painfully off tune and I think it's in the celos."

They all raised their bows and played the same note and I found him. I pointed at him, "You're out of tune. Please fix it." It was Nao. As he was fixing his celo, his sister was smirking in triumph. I rolled my eyes. I couldn't help it.

After he finished, we trying playing again but then someone else went off. Oh! And the sound was so much more painful than Nao's offtune celo. "Okay, this time its in the violins." Like the celos, they all played the same note and I caught the violinist. "You're off." It was Naomi. And surprise surprise, her brother was smirking. I'm so fed up with them. "Okay, you two, up."

"What?"

"You heard me. Stand up, with your instruments." Confused they stood up and waited. "I want you, Naomi to stand in that corner." The look on her face was hilarious but I tried to keep a straight face. "And you, Nao, take a seat over in the other corner."

The class started to giggle at them but I glared at them and they stopped but they started eyeing my ears and tail again. Great.

"Is there a purpose to this?" Nao asked as he sat down.

"Yes. I want you to play the first page of music. Without your sister."

"No problem." He started to play but he didnt sound very good and he knew that too because he would stop and try and start over but it still didnt work. "I don't get it."

"You'll see. Hold on." I turned towards Naomi who was chuckling in her corner. "Naomi." She immediatly stopped. "You do the same."

"Sure." Like Nao, she didn't sound right and tried again but still failed. "Why won't it come out right?"

"Isn't it obvious? You two are too busy fighting over who's better that you haven't even realize that you two can't play without the other." They both hesitantly turned their gaze to each other. "You two are siblings. Twins! You're suppose to be close. Not fight. I know what it's like to have a sister. I argue with her too but not to the point of arguing every sibling minute."

"...He has a point," Nao sighed.

"He does."

They walked towards each other. "So, no more fighting?"

Naomi smiled and nodded, "No more fighting."

They hugged and the class took in the sappy sibling moment, aww-ing and clapping. I couldnt help but smile to myself, remembering my moments with Utau.

"Yo! Ikuto! We're trying to sing up here! Tell your class to stop clapping!"

Smirking, I walked over to the window and looked up where Utau's classroom was. She was glaring down at me. "And what if I don't them to stop clapping?"

Just as I noticed the bat wings on her back, she noticed my cat ears and my swaying tail. She smiled.

Floating out of my pocket was Yoru's egg and then hatched. "Ikuto-nya!"

"Yoru?"

"That's right! I'm back just like everyone else is-nya."

I looked back up at Utau who now had angel wings. "Hm... so you guys really are back."

"You thinking what I'm thinking-nya?"

"'Course. Oi!" The class looked at me. "Come over here and make as much noise as you want."

"Ikuto, don't you dare!"

"Enjoy the music, Utau."

The class started to clap, stomp, scream, squeal, play their instruments badly, the works. The look on Utau's face was hilarious XD.

"Good to have you back, Yoru."

"Good to be back-nya."

"I swear, those ears and tail are real. Look how they move!"

Best period ever!

_~Period 8~_

Haru's POV

I was going around the room collecting the paint brushes from the last class and replacing them with clean ones but thoughts were somewhere else. _I wonder is Akane's okay_. She looked really worn out after singing. I tried calling her room last period but she didn't answer and I tried calling her cell phone but it was off and I couldnt leave the room. I managed to leave the period before becaue I got Amu to cover. I was surprised to see Ran with her and was even more surprised when I saw Miki when I got back.

_"The chara's are back today =D Daichi, Temari, and Rhythm are here. I don't know about the others. But I bet they're here too."_

I was so distracted by my thoughts, that I had accidently dipped my hand into a blue paint cup at someone's station. I stared at the blue color and shrugged, personailly, I enjoy the feeling of paint on my skin. It's odd but I never was a very normal person, now was I?

"Ano, Sensei?" I turned around with my blue hand to face the student. It was a girl, a bit short for her age but hey, so was Rima. Actually, looking at her closely, I'd say they were related considering how they look. She had these honey color eyes but unlike Rima, this girl had a very short hair cut, up to her ears. Basically made me think of Rima with a short cut, _She better keep the long hair for now_. But strangely, she felt familiar like I've seen her before.

"Yes?"

"Well, my name's Suzuki Kaede and...I just wanted to tell you, I love your art work. I'm always at your art gallery."

I couldn't help but smile, "No wonder I thought you look familar. I've seen you at my gallery a lot."

"Mhm, that's me. The way you paint, the way you draw, I enjoy it very much and, I hope you don't mind, but I try to sketch using your methods. That's why I'm always at the gallery to see if I'm sketching right."

"Oh! That's no problem at all. If you'd like, I could teach you."

"Really? =D That would be amazing!" She bowed, "Arigatou gozaimasu!"

I chuckled, "You're welcome. But you don't have to bow."

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's okay."

"Haru!"

Turning my attention away from Suzuki-san, I saw Daigo walking up to us. "Daigo, you're in this class?"

"You tell me, you're the teacher."

"Haha. But you're only an eight grader. This is a high school class."

"Tsukasa-san calls it an AP class for me and Kaede-san."

"Huh? Suzuki-san? I thought she was a high schooler," I said surprised.

"Really? How? I'd be a pretty short high schooler," she tilted her head, confused.

"Have you met the Home Ec/Drama teacher, Mashiro-sensei?"

"Yes. A lot of people said I looked like her. It was a little creepy how true it was."

"Yeah, well, she was really short back in high school. Still is short now."

In my pocket, my phone vibrated. Taking it out, I unlocked it and opened the text.

To: _Haru  
_From: _Rima_

_You're talking about me aren't you? DDDX_

"Well! I think we should start class, don't you?" I smiled brightly, honestly terrified inside.

Daigo and Suzuki-san stared at me weird but shrugged it off and went to their stations.

~Time Skip~

Kaede-chan is really something. Turns out, she comes from a long line of painters on her father's side. When she was little, he taught her how to draw and paint and she grew to love it. She wanted to become an artist but not like her family.

"You see, my family only paint the traditional japanese paintings. I find it boring. I want to paint fields of flowers, skies full of stars, and learn every method there is to do so. So, I started taking art classes in school and worked on my own. My father's a bit disappointed by my choice in art but he and my mother still support me."

"That's really amazing, Kaede-chan."

I was currently sitting next to her as she practiced the sketching method she was trying to learn. She was having a hard time learning it because she's not use to it but I know she'll learn.

"What about you? You're a famous painter now. How'd you start?"

"I started..." I leaned back in my chair and looked up at the ceiling. It's been so long since I thought back to why I draw, why I paint. _Why do I paint?_

_"Mama, what are you doing?"_

_"I'm painting, Haru. You want to watch?"_

_"Mhm...Why are you painting?"_

"I paint because I can capture an image on a canvas that a picture can't. I can do whatever I want with the paints...Whatever I desire."

I felt Kaede-chan watching me with sadly but I was thinking of my mother. The woman that took care of me after my worthless father left. She's the reason I paint. I wanted to be able to paint her. But I was young and was still learning. I thought I had the time but I didnt. I didn't get the chance to capture her beautiful face on a canvas. Closing my eyes, I tried to picture her but my memories of her were fuzzy. She was like a dream that I want to remember but cant...

"Hm?" I opened my eyes when I felt something poke me. It was Kaede-chan with a paint brush. She held it out to me and moved her easel over to me with a fresh new canvas on it.

"Whatever you desire, right?"

I smiled and took the brush and faced the white canvas. Closing my eyes I tried again to picture my mother and slowly, her face started to come in focus with each stroke of the brush. _Was her hair always that long? Was her body always that thin and fraigle? Was her face always that round? Were her eyes always that black?_

Before I knew it, my mother was right in front of me, her black eyes turned down, looking at the table where she's painting.

"She's beautiful." I was shocked back into reality by the sound of Daigo's voice. He was looking over my shoulder with green and red smears of paint on his face.

"Who is that, Motou-senpai?"

"Yeah, who is she? She looks like she could be your sister. But you're an only child."

"Well, you weren't born then and I hadn't met Aka yet. This is my mother."

"Your mother..."

Daigo, Aoi, and especially Akane knew what happened to my mother. My whole life changed when she died. I miss her.

Suddenly, Daigo had his hand on my head and I felt something wet and thick touch my scalp. Looking up at him I noticed the stupid grin on his face and Kaede standing behind him with her eyes wide and her mouth hanging.

"You did not...just do that."

"You were looking a little blue, that I'd add some white to your face, you know?"

"Oh, it's on!"

I quickly turned my mother way and grabbed a paint cup from the easel, stuck my hand into it, and threw the black paint at Daigo. It hit the side of his face and we started throwing paint at each other while Kaede tried to stop us and the rest of the class started turning their paintings away. Daigo reached into a cup of orange and threw it at me but I ducked just in time. But because I ducked, the paint hit Kaede who was standing right behind me in the neck.

Daigo and I stopped and stared at her as she looked at the orange paint on her. Then...hell broke loose.

It was awesome! The whole class jumped in after we covered all the paintings with tarp. It was so much fun!

"Don't you love the feel of paint on your skin?" Turning to where the voice came from, I came face to face with-

"Taku...?"

"Hey, Har-ooof!"

"Taku!" The poor guy was knocked out of the air by a glob of blue and brown paint.

He stood up on the desk he landed on and laughed. "That was awesome!" I couldn't help but laugh at how much fun he had getting hit with paint XD. "Hey, Haru, go check out that painting you did."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Okay." He floated up and sat on my shoulder as I ran through the battle zone and up to my painting by the window. Taking the tarp off carefully, I gasped. I had painted my mother alone, painting. But now, she was smiling down at a small black haired, black eyed boy with the brush still in her hand against the paper on the desk. "That little boy..."

"Is you."

I looked at Taku on my should and smiled.

_~Period 9~_

Tadase's POV

I tripped out of the bookcase and fell onto the floor of Tsukasa-oji's office. Rubbing my back and sitting up, I watched as the bookcase closed.

I was so bored in the office the entire day. While the others were teaching and such, I was sitting at a desk, doing paperwork when I obviously had no idea what they were for. I had gotten up to walk around the office when I pulled a book out of the bookcase, opening to the large maze that my family had built in this school. I was there the entire day because I got lost. No wonder my family built it O.o It's so boring sitting in that office.

But I finally found my way back and here I am, sitting in the office with nothing to do now but to wait for the last period of the day to finish.

That is, until there was a knock at the door. I quickly got up and brushed myself off.

"Tadase-kun, I'm coming in!"

"Amu-chan?" She walked in looking really angry while dragging the new Joker, Ito Yoshikazu, by the collar of his shirt. His charas were trying to pull Amu-chan's fingers off him but she held on. But it wasn't any of that they surprised me. It was when Amu-chan's charas appeared and tried fighting off Ito-kun's charas. Well, Ran and Miki. Su and Dia stayed back and watched, not knowing what to do. "Amu-chan, when did you get your charas back? O.O"

"Long stories but that's not important right now. What's important," she pulled Ito-kun, who was fighting against her grip on the floor, up and pushed him inbetween us, "Is that he's skipped four periods."

"Four classes?"

He scoffed and crossed his arms, "You're just mad 'cause they were all you're classes and what we're you doing in my Social Studies class?"

"Covering it for your teacher, you smart ass," she grabbed his ear and twisting it.

"Ow! Let go you hag!"

"What did you call me!"

"You heard me! Owowowowowow!"

_~ping~_

"QUIET!" _Whoa O.o was that me? _"Amu-chan, let go of Ito-kun, now." With a frightened look on her face, she let go of him and took a step back. Ito-kun glared at her and cupped his red ear. "And you Ito-kun, cutting four classes is inexcusable. You do understand that?"

"Whatever," he averted his gaze to the bookshelves behind me.

"No, it's not 'whatever'." I took a pause to looked at him and then at Amu-chan who was still fuming and back. His charas were hanging on his shoulder looking at him, upset. "I'm going to leave a note for my uncle. You have detention for all four of the classes you missed."

"What! No, you can't do that! I have Guardian work to do and-"

"Then you should've thought of that before you cut class."

I turned around and walked over to Oji-san's desk and started writing down the note for him.

"No! Don't do it!" Suddenly, my hand was attacked by Ito-kun's charas. They were trying to pull my hand away from the paper.

"Kazu-kun doesn't want to get in trouble!" Saburo teared.

"He was just up on the roof!" Ichiro almost bit me.

"Guys, uresai!" Ito-kun cried out.

"He didn't get a lot of sleep last night and then there was an x-egg!"

"Uresai!"

I raised my hand, the charas then stopped fighting me and settled on my hand with upset faces. I walked back to Ito-kun who was hiding his eyes behind his bangs. Amu was standing in the back, her eyes were screaming that she wanted to say something. I dont know why she didn't.

"Ito-kun...I dont see why you're so upset. Your charas wanted to keep you out of trouble."

"I'm not upset..."

"Your face says otherwise."

"Okay! I am upset! Happy? Leave me alone. Come on guys." He turned quickly and started walking towards door with his charas floating out of my hand and after him. Just as he was reaching the door, Amu-chan blocked the door. "Excuse me," he said in a rude tone.

"No."

"All I want to do is leave. Can't I have that? I already have detention for four classes."

"There's something wrong but you're not telling anyone."

"I'm fine."

"Amu-chan has a point. What's wrong, Ito-kun?"

"Nothing!"

"If you continue to bottle up your feelings, our charas might turn into x-eggs. Yoshikazu-kun, talk to us."

"When will you people understand, I'm fine!"

"Father's never home..." Subaro sighed, floating towards me.

"Subaro!"

"Mother never pays any attention."

"Jirou..."

"And Mizuki-nee is in Europe studying," Ichiro finished.

"Ito-kun..."

"You guys said you wouldn't tell."

"But you need help, Kazu-kun," Subaro cried.

"I have her! I have you guys! That's why you're around. Remember!"

_So that's what they were born from._ I see it now. Ichiro was always smiling, he was Ito-kun's self to smile, to be happy. Jirou was always had a straight face and was a very calm chara, he was Ito-kun's self to stay calm, hide his emotions. And Saburo was always shy and crying, he was Ito-kun's self to let out all his feelings and cry.

"Ito-kun, charas can be good friends to talk too but the reason they're around is to teach us how to become them. Ichiro, Jirou, and Saburo are here for your comfort, yes, but you need to learn from them. So far, I can tell that you've become very much like Jirou. Always keeping a mask on over your true feelings. But have you learned to smile like Ichiro.?..Or how about cry like Saburo?"

He stared at me with his wide eyes and his body tense. He was speechless.

Amu-chan walked up behind him and gently wrapped her arms around him, "It's okay to cry, Yoshikazu-kun. It doesn't mean you're weak. It means that you're strong enough to breathe. So how 'bout it? Want to finally breathe?"

It was like watching a dam break. He stood there in Amu-chans' arm, tense and wide eyes. Then, tears started to well up in his eyes until they started to fall. They ran down his cheeks and dropping from his chin, onto his shirt and some onto Amu-chan's arms. He turned in her arms and cried into her chest. I watched with his charas floating next to me as his body trembled with sobs as Amu-chan stroked his hair like he was a child.

"She's like Mizuki-nee," Ichiro smiled.

"I miss her."

"Stop crying, Saburo," Jirou shook his head.

"By the way, he said 'i have her'. Who's her?" I asked.

Jirou smirked while as Ichiro's smile grew and Saburo giggled through his tears, "Aoi-chan."

"Aoi-chan?" Wow, I would've never thought.

"But you did good today, Tadase. You'd make a good principal." I turned at the sound of the voice and came face to face (literally) with a familar face.

"Kiseki? O.O"

"Yes, I am back! Mwahahaha! I am back to dominate the world!"

"No you're not Kiseki," Miki floated over with her sisters, arms crossed, "We're only here for a day. Just to visit."

"I can still dominate the world while I'm here for the day, commoner."

"You weren't able to dominate the world in the past 10 years," Ran rolled her eyes.

"How dare you speak to your King like that!"

The girls laughed and I couldn't help but chuckle at Kiseki. Still the same as always.

"You guys laughing about?" Ito-kun asked, wiping his face and trying to put up a front again.

"Oh nothing."

"Kiseki's back," Amu-chan smiled.

"Yup. Are the other charas back too?"

"I just know that Daichi, Temari, and Rhythm are here. I haven't seen the others yet."

"They're all here-desu."

"Well," Miki sighed, "Not Yuka or Takeo. Takeo said that sending Taku was enough to Haru."

"What about Yuka? Akane could really use some strength from her," Amu shook her head.

"Yuka never returned to Akane's heart," Ran frowned.

"What?"

"We thought that maybe she returned to her heart while in America but she never did."

"So you're saying that Yuka has been with Akane this whole time?"

"Yes."

"So where is she?"

* * *

The final bell rang and students were flooding out of the building. Many of the high schoolers were talking about their classes if they had the new teachers.

While they were leaving, the new teachers were cleaning up their rooms, leaving them ready for tomorrow's real teachers. But outside, at the gates, stood a very angry woman.

* * *

**I'm so sorry this chapter took so long. But as you can see, it's not a short chapter.**

**I hope you all enjoyed it and enjoyed your holidays. School started for me already and with mid-term exams coming up, it'll probably a while 'til I post up the next chapter.**

**So, sorry again for taking so long.**

**R&R plz**


	15. Afterschool Activities

"It was so funny XD. Paint was everywhere!" Haru laughed, after explaining to his friends why his students were covered in paint.

"It really was," Daigo nodded, smiling making the dried paint on his face crumble off.

"Did you clean up the room?" Tadase asked.

"Course I did." Haru reclined back in his chair, now balancing on the back two legs but then recieved a hit to the back of the head. "Ow!" He looked up at the person who hit him, Amu. "What was that for?"

"_You_ didn't clean the room. _I _did. You had me character change with Suu to clean up the art room."

"And you did a wonderful job."

Amu glared down at Haru who was grinning like a fool. Ikuto came up behind her and pulled her away. He turned her towards him and started talking to her to calm her down. Just about everyone was in the Royal Garden except for Kukai, Akane, Rima, and Kimi.

"Where are they?" Nagihiko asked.

"Kukai said that Rima texted him, needing help bringing down some of the cooking equipment into the foods room in the middle school," Utau said, looking at her phone.

"Aww, why didnt she ask me?"

"No clue."

"So where's Kimi and Akane-nee?"

The door opened and in walked Akane. She had her hair tied back unlike she did that afternoon and as she walked, she was scribbling into a notebook. Her brows were knitted together in concentration with Lila sitting on her shoulder, watching her write.

"Akane?" She ignored Haru's call. "Akaneeee?...Aka!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry about that ^^''." She placed the pencil in the notebook and closed it. "Sorry I took so long."

"It's alright."

"Hanaki-san, there's something we need to talk about."

Everyone turned their attention to Tadase, who stood up from his chair and walked down the stairs towards Akane. The look on her face was a mix of confusion and slight fear. Amu looked down at her but then averted her eyes towards the floor. Ikuto noticed this and only wondered.

"What do we need to talk about?"

"Hanaki-san...where's Yuka?"

Everyone saw how Akane's body went stiff as a board.

"What does it matter, Tadase-kun? Takeo didn't come back. Doesnt mean Yuka had to come back," Aoi spoke up.

"Hanaki-chan, Yuka never left."

"What?"

Tadase turned back to Akane who hadn't said a word yet. "Hanaki-san, there's nothing wrong with telling us. Where is Yuka?"

Her shoulders slumped and she let out a held breath. She reached into her pocket and pulled out an x-egg. The rest of the group stood up or leaned closer to see.

"An x-egg?" Utau asked.

"Well...It makes some sense," Ikuto sighed.

Nagihiko shook his head, "Why didn't you tell us, Akane-chan?"

"I...Don't know."

"Can't Yoshikazu purify the egg?" Norio suggested.

"It's worth a shot."

"Alright then Ito-kun can you-"

Tadase was cut off when the Garden door burst open. There, trying to catch her breath was Kimi. Her cheeks were pink from exhertion and she was trying to say something but because of the lack of air, no words came out.

"Kimi-chan, what's wrong?" Lulu asked, coming to her aid.

"Ma-Mashiro-sensei and Souma-senpai," she paused.

"Did something happen to them?" Utau and Nagihiko jumped in concerned.

"They're at the gates _*pant* _With this woman. She's really _really_ mad."

"A woman?" Utau raised an eyebrow.

"She started yelling at Mashiro-senpai and they were going to get into this big fight if it weren't for Souma-senpai. I think he's still holding Mashiro-senpai back."

"Oh no."

Nagihiko jumped down the stairs and dashed out of the Garden with everyone running after him. Just as the last person ran out, Kimi groaned. "MORE RUNNING? UGH!"

* * *

"Kukai! Let me go! Now! Before I kick you in the balls and then lets see if you'll have any more kids with Utau!"

Rima struggled in Kukai's grip, trying to get free to kill the woman being held down by the soccer team that was with Kukai at the beginning. She was thrashing underneath them but a whole team of high school boys was too much for her.

"Get off me! Let me at that little tramp!"

"Oh no! Kukai, you better let me go now! You hear what that whore called me?"

"Mashiro, I am _not_ letting you go to kill her."

"If I get out of here, I'll kill you!"

"Are you threatening me!"

"No, bitch! It's called your future!"

"Mashiro!"

"Don't tell me to shut up, Kukai, because so-help-me Utau will kill me for leaving your children fatherless."

"Now that's just rude."

"Then let me go!"

Eventually the rest of the gang pushed through the crowd onto the scene.

"Rima!"

"Nagi!"

Seeing nagihiko, Kukai finally released Rima and pushed her in his direction. She stumbled into his arms and then told him the whole story.

"She's here!"

Nagihiko narrowed his eyes at the woman under the pile of high schoolers. Her purple hair was a mess and her brown eyes were wide with rage. But she calmed down some when she say Nagihiko. "Nagihiko, help me please."

"What are you doing here, Aiko?" Nagihiko asked, now, obviously angry.

"Get them off me and I'll tell you."

Everyone watched as he pondered this.

"Let her up."

The shock that went through everyone was due to the fact that Rima was the one who made the order. The high schoolers looked to Kukai first before recieveing the offical go. They slowly untangled themselves from each other and let Aiko up. She brushed herself off and then crossed her arms.

"You're up. Now tell us why you're here."

"I won't respond to the _girl _that stole my fiancee," she hissed.

"GIRL! I am a woman, you-"

"Ri-ma." Nagihiko pulled her hair to quiet her but she looked up at him angry but with small tears in her eyes from having her hair pulled. "Will you two be a little more a mature about this? Especially you, Aiko."

"I'll do that once she grows five inches."

"Why I oughtta-"

"This is what I mean. Just tell us why you're here so we can be on our way."

"I'm here because you're mother made a berothal."

"We all know the story yeady yeada," Utau said, "But Nagihiko isn't going to leave Rima for the likes of you."

No one else but the Guardians and the gang saw most of the charas make mean faces at Aiko when Utau spoke.

"And that's exactly why I'm here. He broke a family rule. As well as his mother. She promised my parents that I will marry Nagihiko and when I come to claim him, he's with some midget?"

"He's mine! And I'm not a midget!"

"Am I property now? -_-'''' "

Ikuto put a hand on Nagihiko's shoulder, "Just be happy she wants you."

"True." Nagihiko turned his attention back to Aiko and Rima. "You already know I'm not going to break off my engagement with Rima just because of a berothal my mother made 15 YEARS AGO!"

"You may not break the engagement, but the family can."

"What are you talking about? What is she talking about, Nagi?"

"I...Don't know."

At first, no one really believed that Nagihiko didn't know what Aiko was talking about but by the look on his face, it was obvious he wasn't kidding.

"She means that she's taking this issue to the elders of our family." Heads turned to the new voice, Nagihiko's mother. She walked up next to him and Rima, "I made a promise in the family and a promise as important as a berothal. Aiko and her parents are not going to let this down until this is offically settled by the elders."

"Question, Fujisaki-san," Amu raised her hand, "Uh, why didn't you think of this earlier?"

It got really quiet as Amu's question processed through everyone's mind. Then, Rima and Nagihiko snapped.

"WHY _DIDN'T_ YOU THINK OF THIS EARLIER!"

"I forgot about the whole thing okay! Sue me!"

"Oh, I will," Rima hissed.

"Not now, Rima-chan," she patted Rima's head, pissing Rima off even more. Fujisaki-san turned towards Aiko, "Have you settled a date?"

"Three days from now in Matsue."

"We'll be there."

Aiko gave a last nod before turning and walking off the school grounds and into the limo waiting for her. Slowly, the crowd started to disperse. Only ones left at the gates were the Guardians, our main characters, and the high school soccer team.

"Guys, head to the field. I'll be there later," Kukai told them and they walked away.

Tadase crossed his arms and sighed, "Matsue? That's a day drive over there."

"Well, that's where our family is," Fujisaki-san said.

"We're leaving tonight, Mother."

She nodded, "I'll tell Baaya to start packing my things."

"We should get home to pack, Nagi."

"No, Rima, you're staying."

"What!"

Rima in shocked, Amu, Lulu, Utau, and Akane spoke up for her. Trying to convince Nagihiko to let her go but he didn't look fazed. Even his mother tried to convince him.

"I said no, minna."

"Why not?" Rima asked, barely over a whisper.

"This is something I have to do. Not only that, my family isn't the most understanding group of people. I don't want to put you through that. Just wait here in Osaka until I come back."

With a straight face, all emotion hidden away, Rima looked at Nagihiko and nodded. She then started walking home.

"Rima..."

Amu, Lulu, and Utau ran after her. Akane placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a tiny, sad smile before running off herself.

"Wait, Hanaki-san!" Tadase called out. "What about Yu-"

But they were already out of sight by now.


	16. Matsue

Nagihiko's POV (That night)

I rested my elbow in the window and rested my cheek on my fist with my right hand still on the wheel. The sun had set about two hours ago and I've been driving for three. Mother was sitting in the passenger seat sleeping and Baaya was in the back seats sleeping as well. The radio was playing lightly enough to not disturbed them but to keep me entertained.

I felt a yawn come on but I kept my eyes on the road.

"Nagihiko, you should find a rest stop. You're tired."

"I'm fine, Temari. Thanks though."

"Dude, you really should listen to her. It's not good to drive while tired. You could fall asleep at the wheel!"

"Relax, Rhythm. I'll be fine."

"Fine, alright," he scoffed and sat on the dashboard.

Temari sighed and shook her head at him and then looked at me, "So did you figure out what could've been wrong with Rima?"

"Well, she wasn't upset. But she wasn't her usual self. She would've put up a fight...But she didn't."

_~Flashback~_

_I was packing for the trip to Matsue. I had to go pick up Mother and Baaya later once I finish._

_I heard the door open and a small voice say 'I'm home'. I walked into the living room to see Rima taking off the pumps the Guardians (Kimi) made her wear with the teacher's outfit._

_"Welcome home."_

_I was afraid that she was going to glare at me and give me the cold shoulder but...she didn't. She actually smiled at me before going into the kitchen. She was in the process of getting water when I asked, "You're not going to yell at me?"_

_"No."_

_She walked pass me and settled herself on the couch, "You're not going to argue with me about letting you go?"_

_"Nope," she popped the 'p'. _

_I was honestly stuped by her responses. I walked up behind her on the couch. She looked up at me, her head thrown back completely, reminding me of a child the way she sat there looking tiny with the remote in her hand. "You're not..mad?"_

_She smiled, innocently and sweetly and said, "No, I'm not mad."_

_"Oh...Well, okay...I guess. I'll just go finish packing."_

_"Need me to help?"_

_"It's alright. I don't have much left to pack."_

_" 'kay."_

_~End of Flashback~_

"I don't know what to make of any of that."

"Well, at least you were able to leave without having to argue with Rima. Ne?"

I looked at Temari as she smiled reassuringly to me and I couldn't help but smile too. I gently patted her on the head and nodded, "Yeah."

"Wait! Why is Temari getting a pat on the head? I want a pat on my head too!" Rhythm started crying.

He can be such a handful, not to mention, he can go completely out of character. "The day you say something right and deserve a pat on the head, I'll give you a hug."

"Nah, dude, men don't hug."

I gripped the wheel tighter with fustration as I focused on _not_ hitting Rhythm. That is, until Mother stirred. Her eyes fluttered open and blinked them a few times to get rid of the sleep but that didn't work.

"Nagihiko, are you on the phone?"

_Crap! _"Uh, yeah! Kukai called. He was just being stupid."

"He never really was the sharpest in the group, has he?"

_XDDD HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_ I did everything in my power to not bust out laughing but in my mind, I was laughing hysterically.

"Well, keep it down, alright? Baaya's still sleeping and you know how she gets if you wake her."

"Alright. Sorry, Mother."

"Oh, and Nagihiko?"

"Yes?"

"Is it me or are there two tiny little people sitting on the dashboard?"

"It's just you! You're half-asleep, Mother!"

"Hm...I suppose you're right. Listen to me, tiny little people. But the one in the kimono was adorable."

Slowly, Mother drifted off to sleep while talking about Temari and how cute she looked. By the time she fell asleep, Temari was giggling from embarrsement and Rhythm was laying dead on the dashboard.

* * *

Haru's POV (Akane's Place)

"So you really have no reason as to why you didn't tell us?"

"That's right."

I stared at Akane as she stared back at me with those gray eyes as she sat on her bed. Her there was no expression on her face but her hands were gripping the sheets so tightly that her kunckles were white. I sighed. "You think I'm mad."

"Mad? No. Upset? Yes."

"Of course I'm upset, Aka." I sat down next to her and placed my hand on her's. "I'm upset that you didn't tell me about Yuka. Or at least one of the girls. I wouldn't mind that if only you told someone...Instead of hiding it like a secret."

"I'm sorry." She hid her eyes behind her bangs and I felt her hand grip the sheets even tighter than I thought possible now. "I'm sorry. I'm always hurting someone."

"Aka, don't say that."

She quickly stood up and faced me, tears welled up in her eyes but she was angry. Her body was trembling and her voice was shaky. "Haru, it's true! I hurt my friends back in high school. I nearly killed them a few times. Then I leave Aoi and Daigo here in Japan while I go look for our parents. I know they missed me and like I did. And when I came back empty handed, I saw the hurt in their eyes. Don't think I didn't." I reached out to her but she stepped back, "Don't. Please."

"Aka..."

Her eyes widen and then the tears started to fall, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm hurting you too."

I noticed Yuka's egg on Akane's desk. It started glowing a purple aura, off and on but the more Akane cried, the stronger the aura became. I stood up and wrapped my arms around Akane. I kissed her head, "Akane, the only person you're hurting, is yourself. So please, don't do this to yourself. We, I hurt when you hurt."

"Haru, I'm sorry."

"It's alright. It'll all be alright."

Carefully, I picked her and laid her down on her bed. Her eyes were already heavy from crying. I stroked her hair and watched her eyes start to close. When her breathing became even, I kissed her and then gently got off the bed and walked over to the desk. I picked up Yuka's egg that wasn't glowing anymore but still had that x on it. Taku and Lila floated up.

"Maybe if Ito-san does use the open heart, maybe the x will be removed," Lila said, placing her tiny hand on the egg.

Taku shook his head and crossed his arms, "It probably will remove the x but I don't think Yuka will hatch with it gone."

"But maybe it'll help Akane."

"Lila has a point. What if it's the negative energy coming from Yuka thats the cause of Aka's depression?"

"You have it in reverse, Haru. It's Akane's depression that's causing Yuka's negative energy."

"So...It's up to Aka to remove the x, huh?"

"It seems that way."

Akane's phone started ringing on her desk. Quickly, I grabbed it and picked it up. I looked at Akane to see if it woke her up, it didn't but she turned onto her other side. I pressed the phone to my ear, "Mushi mushi?"

"Haru?"

"Amu?"

"What are you doing on Akane's phone?"

"She's asleep."

"Is she okay?"

I looked at Akane asleep, one of the only times she honestly looks at peace. "She's okay right now. So what was it you were calling for?"

"Oh! Right. Well you see-"

* * *

The next day, Nagihiko pulled up into the parking lot of the hotel his mother reserved for the three of them because they didn't want to stay with the family. Nagihiko rested his head on the wheel and took deep breaths. He was feeling really car sick and was just in a pissed off mood thanks too his snoring house maid/nanny, running mouth mother that kept talking about the tiny little people, and the tiny little people floating around the car complaining about boredom. It was driving him crazy. _They're lucky I didn't jump from the car, ugh!_

"Young master, are you feeling alright?"

"Just...a little car sick, Baaya."

"You could've pulled over and switched with me."

"Mother, your license was revoked for reckless driving, two years ago and they STILL don't want to give you your license back."

"But we got to the performance in time, remember?"

He sighed and got out of the car. He was happy that the hotel they reserved had a beach. He walked right to the back and stood in the stand, letting the water reach up to his feet. The ocean night breeze hit him in the face sending the car sickness far away. He opened his eyes to watch the waves crash against the shore with his hands in his pockets until his charas floated up.

"Nagi! Look!"

"Not now, Rhythm," he waved him away.

"No, really, Nagihiko. Look up there."

Sighing, he turned and followed where the two charas were pointing to be taken aback completely that he took a step back but almost fell into the water from the water pulling the sand away.

"We were wondering when you'd get here!"

From three balconies, Nagihiko saw all his friends smiling down at him. Especially one little blond woman, leaning on the railing with a smirk on her face.

"Rima?"

"You didn't honestly think I was going to let you come to Matsue on your own to fight for our marriage, did you?"

The look on Nagihiko's face turned from shock to pure amusment that he his lips turned up into a smile and he started laughing.

* * *

**R&R plz**


	17. A Blast From The Past

"Bed! Oh sweet, Kami-sama!"

Everyone stared in shock and amusement as Nagihiko fell onto the large hotel bed and hid his face inbetween the pillows.

"Didn't you get any sleep at the rest stop?" Lulu asked.

"How'd you know I stopped at a rest stop?"

"How'd you think we got here before you?" Kukai grinned.

"Right. Well, no, I didn't sleep much."

"Baaya-san tends to snore," Temari giggled.

"And his mom was talking in her sleep about seeing us" Rhythm laughed.

"Ehhh!"

"Your mother saw Rhythm and Temari?" Tadase questioned.

"Apparently. She was going back to sleep when she asked "Is it me or are there two tiny little people sitting on the dashboard?". I freaked but I told her that she was half asleep."

"How is it possible that she saw them?" Amu asked, turning to her charas.

All the charas looked at each other but shook there heads.

"We don't know-nya."

"We know that children can see us because of the egg forming in their hearts," Miki said.

"But we don't know 'bout adults," Nana shrugged.

"Wait," Su said, "What about Nikadou-sensai -desu? He was able to see us."

"Su's got a point," Daichi nodded.

"He mentioned having a chara but his egg broke before he could hatch," Ran added.

"You think his mom had a chara?" Iru asked.

"If she did, wouldn't we have known?" Temari asked.

"True. Right, Nagi," Rhythm nodded, "Nagi?" Everyone turned to Nagihiko but he was fast asleep. "Aww, man. He fell asleep."

"He's tired," Rima said.

"We know. It means we have to go."

"Huh?"

"We told you we'd be only visiting for a day," Dai smiled sadly.

"Oh...So that means..."

"Once you go to sleep now, we return to your hearts," Lila finished for Akane.

"Well, that sucks," Utau sighed.

"But it was good to have you all back," Ikuto added.

All the charas smiled at their owners.

"I think it's best we get going," Temari bowed.

Rhythm held out a thumbs up to everyone and grinned, "Tell Nagi that we said bye and that we had fun like always."

"We will," Rima nodded.

They floated over to Nagihiko. Temari gave him a kiss on the cheek while Rhythm was already sitting in the bottom half of his egg. Temari's egg then appeared and she sat in hers. They waved bye to everyone as their eggs closed and when they did, their eggs floated over Nagihiko's back and sank in. He took a deep breath but then let it out, a smile on his face.

"I don't want to go to bed now," Amu shook her head.

"We don't want to leave either," Taku sighed.

"But that's how things are," Kiseki nodded.

* * *

Utau's POV (Morning)

It was sad saying bye to our charas last night. Although Eru was crying her eyes out and basically ranting on how much she loved me, I couldn't help but smile. Especially how Iru tried to play it tough and not cry. Too bad they couldn't be around for the baby to arrive.

Anyways, Kukai, Amu, Ikuto, and I were already eating breakfast in the dining hall. other guests were eating as well. The others were still upstairs either sleeping or just waking up.

I was eating toast when I heard giggling. I averted my eyes a few tables over to see a family, a father, a mother, and two kids, a boy and girl. The little girl was feeding her somewhat older brother scrambled eggs. Without hesitating, he opened his mouth and recieved the food and smiled. Their parents smiled at them so lovingly, I suddenly pictured my parents, Ikuto, and myself so many years ago. But with another thought floating around in my mind, I couldn't keep my eyes off the two kids.

"Utau!"

"Huh?"

"Welcome back, space cadet," Ikuto smirked, biting into a blueberry muffin.

I stuck my tongue out at him and continued eating.

"What were you thinking about, Utau?" Amu asked me.

"Oh, nothing." But of course, they didn't believe me because of the stupid grin on my face. Oh well. I think Kukai picked up what I was thinking because he chuckled a little and went back to eating as he snuck his hand into mine.

"Morning, minna."

We turned to greet the rest who have come down from their rooms. Tadase looked like he was dragged out of bed by Lulu, Akane was snuggling Haru's arm as they walked (obviously she wanted to stay asleep), and Nagihiko was talking to Rima about something. Probably about the "trail" with his family. They took a seat at the fairly large table we got and soon, the waiter from before came and took their order for their breakfasts.

"So," Nagihiko started, "Just what is it that ALL of you plan to do in Matsue? I understand Rima, but why you guys? No offence, thou."

"None taken," Haru chuckled.

"We wanted to come along and watch and if anything, help out," Amu smiled.

"Ah," Nagihiko turned his gaze to Akane who was still trying to wake up, "Akane, where's Aoi and Daigo?"

"At you're cousins. They didn't seem to mind much. They wish you two luck."

I watched as everyone started to eat now that their food arrived. Akane was taking a bit of toast with butter when I said, "Ne, Akane."

"Yes?"

"Sanjou-san told me you're planning on having a returning concert."

"Oh yeah, Dad said somthing about that," Ikuto said carefully with his mouth occupied with waffles.

"Eh? When was I going to be informed of this?" Haru asked, faking hurt feelings.

"You're my rival in the company," she winked at him, "Just kidding." She took a drink of apple juice and nodded, "Yeah, I plan on having a concert. Hopefully after we get back to Osaka."

"That's good," Lulu smiled, "It's been a long time since you've been on stage."

"Well, besides that last minute duet at Haru's concert," Kukai said.

"True," Rima nodded, "So are you going to sing new songs or old songs from tour?"

"A little both."

"Well," I cut in, "How about we combine our concerts?"

"Hm? Combine?"

"Yeah. I'm having a going-away concert soon, so I don't see why not."

Akane nodded, "Sounds good. But under one condition."

"And what's that?"

"You go second."

"WHAT!"

"Relax! Let me explain. You're having a going-away and people normally remember the last thing they see so, if you go second, they'll remember you. I'm just coming back to they'll be seeing me again. You'll be gone for awhile because of the wedding and because of the baby."

"Makes sense. Alright, I'l go second. But I also have a condition."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. An opening act."

"An opening act? It's already the two of us. Why an opening?"

"Don't worry about that. Just agree."

She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms, thinking. "Are they good?"

"Yeah."

"Then, I guess it's alright."

"Then we have a deal."

We reached across the table and shook hands.

"By the way, do I know them?"

"She's...known. But not so much."

"Oh. Okay."

She shrugged and went back to eating. Nagihiko, Rima, Lulu, Tadase, Haru, Amu, and Kukai went back to eating too. But it was Ikuto, who's eyes I meant, that knew what was going on.

Normal POV

Soon after they finished talking about the concert, Nagihiko's mother and Baaya walked into the dining hall for breakfast. They walked up to the table everyone was seated at and Fujisaki-san placed a hand on Nagihiko's and Rima's shoulder.

"May we have a seat?"

"Oh sure." Nagihiko wiped his mouth a napkin and brought over two more chairs to the table with the help of some waiters.

Having taken their seats, Fujisaki-san cleared her throat and looked directly at her son and Rima. "Nagihiko, Rima, we need to talk about tomorrow."

The mood across the table became very tense. Everyone stopped eating to pay more attention except for Ikuto, Haru, Kukai, and Utau.

"Fujisaki-san, just how does this work with your family?" Tadase asked.

"Its very similar to a normal court case. Except, the jury and judge are the elders of the family."

"What about 'witnesses'?" Amu asked next.

"I was thinking about that myself. I do believe that the elders will let you all into the house to watch. And hopefully, they will question you to help my son and Rima-chan."

"May I say something, Ma'am?" Fujisaki-san nodded to Baaya, and she turned to look at everyone. "The Fujisaki household is very strict about posture, patience, and behavior. Please, when inside, don't speak unless spoke to, don't slouch, and keep as calm as possible."

"Baaya's right. If you say or do anything against the elders, Nagihiko and Rima may not have a chance of winning."

"We understand."

Their words hung in the air until Fujisaki-san's face changed from a stressed one into a smile, "Now, let's go to the hot springs."

"Huh?"

"Hurry up and finished eating. We're in Matsue, home of the hotsprings. Plus, we have free access."

"Free access?" Ikuto asked.

"How do we have free access?" Rima asked.

"Not only is the Fujisaki family famous for dancing," Baaya said, "But they also own a large hotspring here in Matsue. Why else would most of the family live here?"

Everyone turned to look at Nagihiko who was hiding behind his hand but looked through his fingers when he felt his friends staring.

Rima narrowed her eyes and cocked an eyebrow, "Is there anything else we should know about your family?"

"Oh that's right," Baaya smiled, "Rima-san, you enjoy comedy, correct? You'll love Master Asuma. He's a professional comedy."

Fujsaki-san and Baaya stood up and walked out of the dinning hall.

Rima then said, "Nagihiko...I hate you."

* * *

Stepping out of the cars, everyone stared in awe. Although the building was fairly large, they could see the steam in the back coming from the hotsprings. Already standing at the door were was a woman with lavender color hair that fell down her back in curls and over her pink kimono and a teenage girl around the age of 15, with darker purple hair that looked almost blue.

They bowed as the gang walked up, "Welcome to the Fujisaki hotsprings. We will see to it that you're time here is relaxing."

"No need to bow, sister."

"Sister?"

The two stood up and the woman smiled brightly, "Annaki-nee-san?"

"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Jin?"

"A little too long," she shook her head still smiling as she walked up to Fujisaki-san. They shared a gentle hug with each other before they held each other out at arms length, "Seems I've finally reached you're height."

"It seems that way."

Jin looked over her sister's shoulder at the group and gasped, "Is that Nadeshiko?"

Everyone started giggling and trying to keep themselves from laughing at the name. Even his mother gave a small laugh, "No, that's Nagihiko. Nadeshiko doesnt really exist anymore."

"Really? Must of been quite the decision to make."

"It was all him."

Jin walked away from her sister and up to Nagihiko who was starting to feel uncomfortable under his aunt's watchful eye. "He's so handsome. Tall too. You don't remember me do you? Of course not, you were what? Five when we met?"

"I'm sorry that I don't remember you," he gave an apologetic smile.

"It's alright." She then settled her eyes on the others behind him. "Oh! I'm being rude. I'm Fujisaki Jin, the keeper of this hotspring."

"Who's she?" Ikuto nodded behind Jin.

"That's my daughter. Come and introduce yourself," she waved her over.

The girl blushed from embarrasment as she quickly made her way to Jin's side. She glanced at her mother for a second before bowing. In a very quiet voice she said, "Hello, I'm Fujisaki Sachi. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"She's very quiet," Kukai stated but was quickly bent over in pain from the hit Utau gave him in the gut with a hiss.

Standing up straight, you can see the flustered look on Sachi's face, "Does it bother you?"

"Oh, no," Kukai smiled as he was still in pain, "Of course not. I'm just saying."

"Oh... Well, uh...I'll go put some tea on." And soon, Sachi had run off inside to start the tea.

There was an awkward silence after she left but then Jin sighed and said, "How about we go on inside and get you all into the hotsprings?"

"Sure."

Everyone followed Jin into the hotsprings, her sister walking along side her. Amu sped up to catch up with Rima who was walking with Nagihiko and whispered to them, "Why is that it's Nagihiko's past that keeps showing up?"

"I have no clue. First Daiki, then that insect of a cousin of yours, and now Jin and Sachi. Who the hell is gonna show up next? Your dad!"

"Huh, you never did tell us what happened to your father, Nagihiko."

"He died a long time ago. But I think I've had enough of my past showing up. Let it be someone else," Nagihiko shook his head.

They followed Jin up to the desk to get their room and keys. She was handing each of them out when the doors opened again, "Ano." Jin turned around to attend her, that is, until Kukai got to her first.

"Sion?" Shock was written all over his face as he stared at the woman at the door. She had long orange hair pulled up into a ponytail and purple eyes and a gentle aura surrounding her.

She looked at Kukai confused at first until realization dawned on her, "Kukai? I can't believe it's you."

By now, they were in an embrace. They pulled away and started complimenting each other and pointing out how long it's been since they last seen each other.

As for Utau, she had her eyes narrowed at Sion but on the inside, she felt like she was going to cry. She noticed Ikuto come up behind her, ready to comfort her. She continued to watch them but spoke to Amu, Rima, Lulu, and Akane, "Who's she?"

Rima, Lulu, and Akane shrugged but Amu answered, "Sion is an old friend of Kukai. She's known him since he was born, they're practiaclly siblings. But she left years back when we were still in middle school to study aboard."

"Since he was born, huh?"

"Utau! Come here," Kukai called her over. Swallowing her feelings down, she walked over to Kukai and Sion. "Sion, this is my fiancee, Utau. Utau, this is an old friend of mine, Sion."

"You're marrying Hoshina Utau?" Sion asked surprised.

"Is that a problem?" Utau asked as innocent as possible but it dripped with acid that only Sion noticed. Kukai was completely clueless.

Sion shivered but kept a smile, "No of course not."

"I feel a little bad for Sion-san," Amu giggled.

"Soccer boy better not mess up things. Utau's a very jealous person," Ikuto crossed his arms and continued to watch his sister and brother-in-law talk to Sion.

"We all know that," Tadase said, "Remember her brother complex and when Amu-chan stepped into the picture?"

Ikuto shivered violantly before pulling Tadase into a headlock for reminding him of "that" time.

While everyone was laughing, the doors opened again in walked a group of boys around the age of 18 with duffel bags. They were all talking excitedly and some were horsing around. Jin took the time to welcome them. Just as the boys were bowing to show their respect, one stayed standing. He was staring at the group before his eyes turned into hearts. He rushed over to Amu's side who was busy laughing but quickly stopped when he noticed the boy.

"Uh...Can I help you?"

"Amu-senpai, it's really you!"

"Do I know you?" Amu asked.

You visiably saw the arrow that went threw the boy's heart at her words. He started tearing and said, "It's me, Seiichiro Suzuki."

"Seii-chi-ro...Su-zuk-i...? Sorry, no bells."

"Amu," Ikuto cut in, still holding Tadase in a headlock but was losing oxygen quickly, "Who's the kid?"

"Ikuto! Let him go, he can't breath!" Lulu cried out.

"I am Seiichiro Suzuki! Hinamori Amu-senpai's number one fan!"

"Number one fan?"

"Ikuto, Tadase!"

"Oh, right." Ikuto let go of Tadase, who collapsed on the floor "dead".

"OH!" Amu jumped up and pointed at the boy, "Now I remember you! You're the stalker kid!"

"That hurts..."

Suddenly, Ikuto was towering over Seiichiro with an evil aura around him, "Stalker...kid? What is this all about?"

"Relax, Ikuto. He's harmless."

"I think jealousy runs in the family," Rima whispered enough for Lulu, Nagihiko, Haru, and Akane (and Tadase) to hear.

They all watched as Ikuto drapped his arm over Amu's shoulder and glared at Seiichiro.

"Suzuki, lets go! We have our rooms!" one of his friends called.

"C-coming!" and he ran off.

"What happened?" Tadase asked, coming too.

"Ikuto had you in a headlock," Nagihiko chuckled.

"Oh yeah...Uh, Fujisaki-kun, Motou-kun."

"Yeah."

"Is it me, or do we know that girl with the red hair and sunglasses."

Nagihiko looked over Rima's head, Haru moved Akane out of the way and searched for the girl Tadase was talking about.

"Oh, you mean the one with the scarf?" Nagihiko asked

"Yeah."

"hm...She seems familiar," Haru said.

"I get that urge to run away when I look at her."

They continued to watch her, trying to figure out who she was. Even Rima, Lulu, and Akane were watching her, wondering who she was. She then started walking towards the desk, but then stopped a few steps away. She removed her sunglasses and smiled but Tadase, Nagihiko, and Haru jumped two feet in the air, holding each other in fear, "SAAYA!"

Hearing that name, Ikuto and Kukai flinched in fear and slowly turned their heads to see.

"Oh my god! I can't believe it! It's really you! Tadase, Nagihiko, Ikuto, Kukai, and Haru, too. I am so glad I came on this trip."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

All the guys ran for their lives down the hall, not knowing where they were going, all they knew was that they were running away from Saaya.

"Why the hell are you here?" Rima asked using her old facade from middle/high school.

"If it isn't the Ice Queen herself. If you must know, I'm here relaxing. My family is a usual here at this hotsprings."

"Let me guess, because it belongs to Nagihiko's family."

Saaya's face started to turn red, like her hair, "And what's your excuse? You still clinging like a puppy to Nagi?"

"One! The puppy here is you! Two! It's none of your damn business."

"Rima, calm down," Lulu placed a hand on her shoulder.

"She's especially after Tadase. You should be angry too."

"Oh hell nah!"

"And who the hell are you?"

"I'm Tadase's girlfriend."

"Ehhh!"

"This trip is not going to be easy," Amu sighed and shook her head.

"And to think we only came to the hotsprings to relax," Akane crossed her arms.

"Look, the doors are opening again," Utau pointed out, Sion quietly standing next to her, "Who could it be now?"

In walked a tall man with redish brown hair, spiked back, carrying a bag. Jin walked up to him and bowed her head as he did the same. They spoke a bit before Jin went to attend the desk.

Utau smirked, "Ri-ma~! Someone's here to see you!"

"What are you talking ab-Oh crap."

"Mashiro-san?"

"This trip just keeps getting better and better," Rima rolled her eyes. "Hello, Kirishima-kun."

"Wow...It's been a long time hasn't it?" he smiled, kindly.

"Apparently not long enough," she said under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" His smiled back at her but he didnt know that Rima was mentally beating herself up.

"Who's the puppy now?" Saaya smirked but was hit over the head by Lulu.

"So what are you doing here?"

"I'm visiting some relatives here in Matsue."

"That's nice. Well, I'll let you go," she said quickly, smiling innocently and turning to walk away.

"Ano!" Rima cursed her luck before facing Kirishima with a calm face. "Are you still with Fujisaki-kun?"

She opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by Saaya, "Nope. She's completely free."

"What did you say!"

"Really, now? Well, I hope to see you around, Mashiro-san."

"No, Kirishima-kun, don't listen to-"

"She hopes to see you too."

He smiled at Rima and then walked away.

"Wait! Kirishima-kun! You don't understand!" But he was already gone. "Saa-ya!" Faster than a blink of the eye, Rima pounced on Saaya, ready to kill her.

Amu, Lulu, and Akane jumped in to pull Rima off but Utau stood away laughing. Sion looked scared. The girls finally got Rima off of Saaya and were holding her back as best as they could.

Akane narrowed her eyes at Saaya, "I think we should go find the guys."

Amu and Lulu dragged Rima away leaving Saaya to help herself up. Akane waited for Utau to catch up. She was about to take a step forward when she stopped and looked at Sion, "It was nice meeting you."

"Oh! It was nice meeting you too."

Utau stared at her for a few more seconds before walking off. Akane started walking with her, glancing over her shoulder once at Sion, "You okay?"

"I'm fine...But I don't think Rima is," she laughed.

"If she sees Saaya or Kirishima the rest of the day, I'm pretty sure she'll go crazy."

Akane and Utau laughed together as they followed Amu, Lulu, and Rima. They were passing doors that let out to a a small garden when Lulu sniffed, "You smell that?"

They all stopped to smell and they cringed at the smell, "Smoke?"

Akane was staring out the doors, "Cigarette smoke."

They all looked out the doors as well to see someone sitting at the edge of the porch smoking a cigarette. It was a woman with shoulder length bleached blond hair wearing a faded blue yukata.

"Oi! There are other people here! Put out that damn thin'! Ya hear!" Lulu snapped, busting the door opened.

The woman was surprised by Lulu that she jumped up and threw the cigarette away. But when she turned around, Akane took a step back. The woman looked over all five of them until her eyes settled on Akane. Her dull blue eyes widen in surprise then anger.

"You."

Akane took another step back into Amu. She put her hands on AKane's shoulders but she was trembling to no end. The others noticed the look of fear on her face and stood in front of her.

"Akane, what's wrong?" Amu heard her say something but it was barely above a whisper. She tried listening closely until she heard.

"Kara."

"It's been a long time, hasn't it? Akane."

"How do you know Akane?" Lulu asked, daggers in her eyes.

"We go way back," she smiled. Her lips turned up just a little more to turn the smile into a wicked one, "Right, Akane?"

"Wh-What are you doing here?"

Kara stood there, obviously thinking about how to answer, "I'm here to feel better. I haven't been in the best mood. But I'm hurt, you didn't give me a proper hello."

"Proper hello my ass!" Akane snapped. When the girls saw this, they were taken completely off guard because it's been a long time since they've seen this side of Akane. They haven't seen her like this since she was working for The Stones.

"Such hurtful words," Kara pretended to be hurt.

"Those words are nothing compared to what you said to me years ago." Akane hid her eyes behind her bangs, clentched her hands into fists, then turned and walked away.

Amu and Lulu didn't hesitate to go after Akane. Utau and Rima stayed behind awhile, glaring at Kara.

"I'm amazed that stick in the mud could even make friends. Aren't you a famous pop star?"

Utau walked up to Kara and got in her face, "You listen here. I've heard about you and we're not going to let you ruin this trip for my friends, especially Akane. So you go back to your little rehab and fix yourself. Better yet an asylum." The look on Kara's face gave away that she was surprised Utau guessed why she was at the hotsprings. Utau felt a sort of triumph with this. "Yeah, I know a rehab patient when I see one, junky."

With that last statement, Utau turned away and walked away with Rima, leaving Kara completely speechless.

"The nerve of that bitch," Rima growled, "To try and lie to us about her past with Akane."

" 'I'm amazed that stick in the mud could even make friends' bah! She doesn't even know what a friend is!"

They continued hissing under their breath until they reached the room that was given to them. Inside, Amu and Lulu were trying to comfort Akane while the boys were still no where to be found. That is until a hand rested on Rima's shoulder. Rima looked up at Nagihiko and the other guys that were standing outside the door. They looked out of breath and Tadase was being carried by Ikuto and Kukai.

"What happened to Tadase?" Utau asked.

"Saaya," Kukai shook his head, "What happened to Akane?"

"Kara."

"What did you say?" Haru asked ergently.

"Kara's here," Akane spoke up. She looked at Haru, "She's here."

The room got quiet until Jin and Nagihiko's mom walked in. They didn't notice the tension in the air.

Jin smiled and said, "If you need anything, just call me down at the desk." Everyone nodded their heads as she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"Something's wrong," Fujisaki-san stated.

Nagihiko sighed and said, "There are guests here that we knew from before."

"Reallly? Well then the legend's true."

"Legend? What legend?"

"They say that this hotspring brings back those from your past to tie loose ends."

.

..

...

"Now she tells us," Utau face palmed.

* * *

**I'm sorry it took so long. Hope you liked it.**

**R&R plz**


	18. The Wall Comes Down

The group took their time trying to calm themselves down. Lulu stayed by Tadase until he woke up from whatever Saaya did to cause him to faint.

"It was probably from just looking at her," Rima smirked.

Haru and Akane sat in a far off corner talking about Kara. Akane was pretty shaken up about the encounter with her and Haru was desperatly trying not to show how angry he was. The others kept away from their conversation, knowing that this was something they had to do on their own. Nagihiko was put in a foul mood when Rima told him about Kirishima staying at the hotsprings and what Saaya told him. As for Ikuto, he was keeping a watch at the door for signs of Saaya, Kara, Kirishima, and more importantly, Suzuki. Amu kept telling him he didn't have to worry about him.

"That was back in middle school. He's probably over me. Come on, Ikuto, get away from the door." But he didn't budge.

Utau was watching her friends along side Kukai. They all had their past coming back to bite them in the butt but the person that came back was someone special to Kukai. Her fiancee. The father of her unborn child. She suddenly became afraid of what Sion could be doing at the hotsprings that requires "tying loose ends", as Fujisaki-san put it. _Did he once love her? Did she? Ugh! This is getting you nowhere, Utau. You're probably just over looking all of this. _"That's it!" Utau jumped up onto her feet, getting everyone's attention, "Enough with all this past people stuff. We're at a hotsprings. How 'bout we all get our asses into that water because I seriously need to relax."

Everyone was quiet until each of their faces broke out into a smile. Kukai was the next person to jump up to his feet, his signature grin on his face, "She's got a point. Last one in the spring has to kiss Saaya!"

Without a second thought, everyone got up on their feet and ran out of the room towards the hotsprings, laughing without a care. Each ran into the changing rooms for their gender, except for Ikuto who accidently ended up skidding into the girl's changing room. He ran back out with socks and towels being thrown at him on the way out and into the boy's changing room.

Boy's Springs

The guys stripped down and wrapped a towel around their waists before stepping out of the changing room. They stared at the beautiful hotpsrings surrounding them. There wasn't just one, but about fifteen other pools of hot water. Mountainess trees surrounded them with smooth looking rocks circling the pools of water.

"This looks great!" Kukai cried, jumping into the nearest pool.

"Kukai, I don't think you should jump in like that," Nagihiko said.

"Oops, sorry, Fujisaki."

"Huh? Fujisaki-kun?" Everyone turned in the direction of the voice to see Kirishima sitting in a pool completely relaxed.

"Fuyuki-kun?"

"I didn't know that you were here. Wow, even Souma-senpai, Hotori-kun, Tsukiyomi-senpai, and Motou-kun is here."

"It's nice seeing you again, Fuyuki-san."

"You too, Hotori-kun."

They heard giggling coming from the other side of the wall that separated them from the girls, they recognized the giggling as their girlfriends. But quickly their laughs turned into shrieks.

"You girls okay?" Haru called over.

"Peachy!" Utau called over, obviously angry.

Not wanting to know what pissed off Utau, or continue standing, they all walked into the pools and sat down. There was an awkward tension surrounding Nagihiko with Kirishima sitting not that far away.

Girl's Hotsprings

The girls walked out of the changing room, giggling and holding their towels up over their bodies. But they stopped laughing and shrieked when they saw a certain blond and red-head in the water.

"You girls okay?" they heard Haru call to them.

"Peachy!" Utau shouted back as she cracked her knuckles, glaring at Saaya and Kara.

Kara had looked up at the wall in shock, at the sound of Haru's voice. Her lips were parted slightly and her eyes were wide, suddenly filled with hurt. None of this went unnoticed by Akane. As for the others, they were focused on the speaking Saaya.

"I came here for some peace, and you five show up. Ugh."

"Trust me, we're not too thrilled to see you either," Amu frowned.

"Haru's...here?" All eyes were now on Kara who just spoke. The girls then turned to Akane to see her reaction. She looked surprisingly calm if it weren't for hands balled up into fists.

"What's it to you if he's here?"

Kara stood up and walked over to Akane. She circled her until she was standing behind her. The girls were ready to attack if need be but they wanted Akane to try and solve this problem with Kara.

She raised her hand and gently rested it on Akane's head. Akane tensed. "It seems that you grew your hair back out. It's so long. And such a bright shade of green. Speaking of green, if i remember correctly, you had green eyes." She grabbed Akane's chin and forcefully turned her face towards her, "But they're gray. You look practically blind. What happened?"

Her voice was dripping with false concern. No one knew what to do, that is until they heard the sound of breaking wood. When they turned to the sound, all they remember was seeing Saaya trying to climb it then the wall coming down completely then they're looking at the guys who was staring at the broken wall in shock.

"What the hell?"

"Oh fuck! It's Saaya! Quick, get me a tree!"

If it weren't for the killer aura that surrounded the girls and the embarressed feeling coming from the guys, they would've probably laughed at Kukai's comment.

"Are you serious! You tried climbing the wall to see the guys? Really?" Rima shouted down at Sayaa who was still dazed from the fall.

"Haru..." Kara took a step into the boys spring, her hand reaching out to Haru, staring at the blond in shock.

Just as she was only a step away from him and was about to place her hand against his cheek, Haru grabbed her by the wrist, frowning. "What are you doing here, Kara?"

She snatched her hand away from him and took a step back, "I came to relax."

"Don't lie to me."

The sound of running water was loud, the only thing heard in the silence. Kara didn't look like she was going to talk. So Utau spoke for her, "Rehab."

"...You're in rehab?"

"What's it to you?"

"You're right. I don't care."

Haru walked past her and up to Akane. He placed his hands on her shoulders and asked her quietly if she's okay. But Akane, moved around him and asked Kara, "Why are you in rehab...Kara?" It wasn't the question that shocked everyone. It was how sincere Akane was asking it. Kara stood there completely speechless by her question. "Well?"

"...Haru left me because of you. He dumped me after that night. I was so mad. You took him away from me. And then, I found out he moved to Osaka not long after you left. It drove me insane. I started drinking more. I smoked more. There wasn't a minute of the day that I wasn't high or drunk. All because you took him away from me!"

Tears were quickly falling down Kara's pale face. She wrapped her arms around herself, as if they could keep her together, but it was obvious she was falling apart. Akane walked up to her and cautiously wrapped her own arms around Kara. She was surprised beyond compare. But she didnt push her away. She didn't want too.

"I'm so sorry, Kara. I'm so sorry that you've gone through all that pain. Please...Forgive me.."

A gasp escaped Kara's lips as the words settled in her mind. She gripped Akane tighter to her and nodded her head in her shoulder, "I'll forgive you...If you'll forgive me."

"I forgive you."

Both wiped their tears and when they looked at each other's pink faces, Akane started laughing and Kara could only smile.

"Well, that sucks. I lost a potential friend," Saaya pouted.

"That's it! I've had it with you and your whorish, buttface ways!" Lulu snapped. "First, you lie to Kirishima-san about Rima being single. Then, you go after ALL of our boyfriends, especially Tadase! and tried to spy on them while they were in the baths. And now, you just ruined a perfect moment. I'm goin to pull each and every last red strand of hair from your scalp!"

Utau and Amu jumped at Lulu at the exact moment she pounced on Saaya. She gave a shriek when she saw Lulu jump at her. they struggled with the blond before they found their way to sit on her.

"Calm the hell down, Lulu. You're just as bad as Nagihiko when he's pissed!" Amu said, remembering Nagihiko as Nadeshiko.

"Jeez, thanks, Amu-chan -.-''' "

"Wait," everyone besides Lulu, Utau, and Amu turned towards Kirishima, "Mashiro-san, you're seeing someone?"

"I'm sorry, Kirishima, but I'm engaged to Nagihiko. Saaya was lying because she's a buttface like Lulu just stated." Nagihiko came up behind Rima and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Kirishima tilted his head in a confused way.

"Uh...Don't you still like me O.O? You sounded kind of happy when Saaya said I was single and you were blushing."

He chuckled, "Oh, no! I'm sorry if that's the impression I gave off. But, no. I'm actually engaged as well. I'll be married in two months. I guess I was blushing because I still think you're very beautiful, Mashiro-san, but I always knew you and Fujisaki-san were good together. I asked if you were still with him because I was curious since I haven't seen either one of you since high school."

"Oh...Well, I feel stupid," Rima frowned, turning around to hide her face in Nagihiko's chest.

Everyone laughed as the tension began to lift.

"I think," Kara started, "we should go back inside before we all catch a cold. Plus, I think we should tell the hotspring's lady that Saaya broke her wall."

"Mother's going to kill me," Nagihiko sighed..

Amu and Utau grabbed the already calmed Lulu and dragged her by the arms out of the baths and into the girl's changing room. After everyone got changed and walked out, Kara reached out and grabbed Akane's wrist before she walked away. Her cheeks were pink and she was nervously trying to avoid Akane's eyes every now-and-then.

"Uh...I was wondering, if I could stop by your rooms for a bit...That is, if it's okay with everyone else."

Akane looked back at the others and already knew the verdict. "Sure, Kara."

"You can come over too, Kirishima," Tadase added.

"Oh! I'll go invite Sion :D" and then Kukai ran off to find her.

Rima glanced at Utau from the corner of her eye and noticed the straight face she had and couldn't help but sigh.

_This should be interesting_, she thought.

* * *

**I AM SO SORRY! THAT IT TOOK ME THIS LONG TO UPDATE! DX**

**I started watchin Black Butler and reading the manga and reading a bunch of other mangas and working on my books and stuff and homework and my parents taking the internet away and blah. I'm sorry! I cut this short so that I could post this. I'll try updating sooner.**

**R&R plz**


	19. Loose Ends Are Tied

"Oi! Lulu, get off me!"

"Rima is so tiny~. How do you control all that hair of yours?" Lulu giggled, cheeks flushed, glass in hand.

After leaving the hotspring, everyone gathered in the groups room (except Saaya). Jin let the wall insident slide saying "Don't worry about it. It always happens." Then, she brought sake over with the help of Sachi and Nagihiko's mother. It wasn't long 'til, Lulu was playing with Rima like she was a doll, Rima too drunk to do anything, Nagihiko laughing at them, Tadase was laying on the ground having random laughing fits, Ikuto was clinging to Amu like a cat, Amu passed out with Ikuto's head in her lap, Kukai was in a corner forcing Kirishima to play slide with him. But Kirishima was still very concoious and was trying to refuse. Akane was curled in Haru's arms passed out like Amu. He, Utau, Kara, and Sion were all very sober. Utau being pregnant, Haru fulfilling his promise to himself, and Kara trying to keep to her rules of rehab.

Sion was sitting next to Utau, laughing quietly to herself as she watched Kukai be a fool. Utau continued to glance at her at the corner of her eyes. _Just talk to her_. Mentally beating herself up, Utau looked over to Haru to get some sort help but found that he was doing what she was trying to do. He was talking to Kara. She stranded her hearing to listen over Nagihiko's and Tadase's laughter.

"You've been really lucky, Haru." He looked at Kara and waited for her to continue. "Akane has been at your side since you've started drinking and doing drugs with me. She's never left you to suffer like me."

"Is that why you hated her so much back in high school?"

"I was so jealous of her. Of you. I never had someone look after me. It was something I desperatly wanted but," she gave a bitter a laugh, "that never happened. No one cares about me."

"Then how did you end up in rehab?"

She chuckled, "I was found in an ally. Overdose. Almost died. I woke up in a daze in the hospital. The nurses said that I've been out for two days. That I was lucky that the person found me."

"You know, you're wrong."

"About what?"

"That no one cares about you. If no one cared about you, that person would of never picked you out of that ally and taken you to the hospital. Don't you think?"

Kara stared at Haru with wide eyes, "I...I never thought of it that way."

"Listen, Kara. I'm really sorry about leaving you. I should've helped you quit instead of help sink even lower." He took one of his arms off of Akane and placed his hand ontop of Kara's hers.

She turned her hand up and held his tightly, closing her eyes and taking in a shaky breath, "I should've never put you through any of it. So, I guess we're both at fault." She gave a small laugh and Haru couldn't help but smile. "I feel so much more relieved now. I feel like a chain within me has finally broken, setting me free. I feel so free."

"That's good to hear, Kara."

Utau smiled at their conversation and was actually looking forward to seeing how Kara after she was released from rehab. But then she returned her attention to Sion. She cleared her throat, "Uh...Hm...So, I've been told that you and Kukai were really close when he was younger."

When she realized that she was being spoken to, Sion turned to Utau. "Oh. Yes, we were. He and his brothers were family to me."

"How long have you known Kukai?"

"Since he was about two or so. He hasn't changed at all since I last saw him."

"You went to study aboard, right?"

"Yeah. I finished my studies and felt like seeing Japan again. So I came here to relax. But I never thought that any of this would occur," she giggled. Utau smiled and nodded, feeling the tension within her lessen. "So, I've been wondering, how long are you into your pregnancy?"

Utau placed her hands on her small bump and smiled softly, "I'm only about a few weeks."

"It's true what they say about pregnant women. You have a lovely glow to you."

"Thank you."

"What do you think it is?"

"Honestly, I haven't thought about the gender. I guess, whatever Kami-sama sends me, I'll love them either way."

Sion raised her hand above Utau's over her stomach, "May I?"

"Uh..Sure." This was the first time that anyone touches her stomach, besides Kukai and her doctor. She felt a little odd.

Sion's hand came down gently but she never was able to rest her hand on Utau's tummy because she was suddenly pulled away by Kukai. He held her close like she was a doll and he pouted at Sion, "My baby. No touch."

Both women were surprised by Kukai's reaction. Sion's shocked face slowly morphed into her gentle smile, as she reached over and ruffled Kukai's hair playfully. "You better take real good care of both of them. You hear?"

"Of course!"

In his arms, Utau stared up at Kukai as he pouted at Sion. Her lips pulled up into a huge smile of pure joy as she curled herself into Kukai's body and smiled into his shirt.

* * *

The next came and the gang was outside the hotsprings saying goodbye to their old friends (except Saaya) as most tried to deal with their heavy hangovers.

"It was good to see you all."

"You too, Fuyuki-san." Tadase shook hands with Kirishima then he turned to Lulu and shook hands with her.

"Remember to mail us the invites to your wedding. We all gave you our addresses."

"I'll be sure to mail them, Mashiro-san." He stooped down a little to hug Rima goodbye.

"Next time you come back to Japan, come visit us," Kukai grinned at Sion.

"I will. I'll try to make to the wedding. And make sure to send me pictures of the baby when they're born."

"Will do."

Sion opened her arms out and Utau walked into them, "It was good meeting you, Sion."

"You too, Utau."

"Wahhh! Hinamori-senpai!"

Suzuki-kun was clinging to Amu's legs, crying, as Ikuto was dragging her out through the door.

"Let go of me, Seiichiro-kun!"

"Yeah, he's totally over you," Ikuto smirked with a tick mark as he continued to pull Amu, recieving a glare from the pink headed girl.

"Will we see you at the Family Meeting?" Fujisaki-san asked her sister.

Jin sighed and placed a hand on her daughter, "We'll try to be there. We dont know if tomorrow is going to be booked or not."

"Ah, well, I hope you can. We need all the help we can get to go against Aiko and her parents."

Jin nodded and then hugged her sister.

"Tomorrow's going to me fun, huh," Tadase said, standing next to Nagihiko.

"If by fun you mean hell, then yes."

* * *

**AGAIN I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! I really have no excuse besides school :( I'm going to work on the next chapter right away while it's still fresh in my mind. I'm sorry, again. **

**Please R&R.**


	20. Let The Games Begin

Saying good-bye to their friends, they all followed Nagihiko's car under the directions of his mother. The breeze was nice as it flowed through their open windows. They watched the scenery of Matsue pass them as they finally reached their destination. Ikuto and Kukai turned the corner following Nagihiko into a large driveway with wide gates. Everyone stuck their heads out of the windows to get a better look at the place.

They then watched Baaya step out of the car and walk over to a door at the end of the gate. There, she spoke to someone blocked by the door and then walk in. After a few minutes, the gates opened, letting the cars in. As they drove in with the gates closing behind them, all their jaws dropped.

"THIS IS A TOWN OF IT'S OWN!" Amu spazed.

"Just how big is Nagihiko's family?" Lulu asked as she watched three little kids in kimono practice their dance outside a very large house.

"Take a good look around, Shrimp. They're going to be your new family."

"Shut up, Ikuto." But Rima couldn't hide the nerves she was feeling from seeing the huge estate.

In the other car, Haru was carefully counting each person he saw in a kimono.

"If this is how Nagihiko's family is, Rima's going to be having a _lot_ of kids."

"She's in for one hell of a marriage."

Kukai nodded in agreement with the girls.

Each house was a traditional Japanese house like Nagihiko's house in Osaka. They could easily hear the bamboo hitting the rock of a pond as it was being refilled with water, over the soft music coming from within the houses. It was pure tranquility.

They were flagged down at house by Baaya, standing next to a man close to her age in a blue kimono. Their cars came to stop close to one another and everyone got out and stretched their legs.

"Everyone, this is Goro-sama. He's the head keeper here at the estate," Baaya introduced the man. He bowed slowly and everyone did so as well.

"It's a pleasure to have you all, including our Mistress and young Master. You have both been missed over the years."

Standing near Fujisaki-san, Rima could easily hear the bitter "Hmph" come from her. She glanced at her at the corner of her eyes and noticed the simmering anger in her usual playful eyes. "Yes, well, another year would've been lovely." Goro opened his mouth to speak but Fujisaki-san stopped him, "We have plenty of time to talk later. Right now, we must be getting to the meeting. The elders aren't the most patient people in the world."

"Very well then, follow me. They should be gathering in the main house."

Goro shook his head and turned in the direction of a path. Fujisaki-san followed with her arms crossed.

"Is Fujisaki-san okay?" Tadase asked Baaya, a questioned they were all wondering.

"Uh, you see, she's never in the best mood when she comes 'home'. But that matter's for later. Right now, the meeting should be starting.

Kukai's POV

The place was quiet although there were people walking around. Some we were even going in the same direction as us. Goro, the old man, kept looking back at Fujisaki-san with this sad expression, I couldn't help but feel that the two had a connection once. Kind of like the bond between Nagihiko and his nanny.

Mashiro tugged on Fujisaki's shirt to get his attention. He leaned down a little as they walked for her to whisper in his ear. I could barely make out what she said.

"Why is it that you and your mother live off the estate?"

He didn't answer her. Instead, he patted her hand, shook his head, and continued walking with her hand in his.

"Ne, Kukai," I turned my attention to Utau, "I'm having cravings again -_-"

If there's one thing about this pregnancy that we both hate, it's the cravings. I can deal with her tantrums because she normally has those. I can deal with her swollen feet because she's always wearing heels anyways. But the cravings are like life-or-death situations. If she doesnt get what she wants, she gets these killer cramps. The doctor still doesnt understand why but we try to avoid it as much as possible. "What do you want?"

"Ice cream again. Strawberry this time."

"Okay." I quietly jogged up to Baaya. She was little surprised by my sudden appearance next to her but ignored it. "Can I ask a favor, Baaya-san?"

"Is something wrong?"

"It's just, Utau is craving strawberry ice cream. And what with her pregnancy-"

"No need to say anymore. Once we get inside, I'll make she gets her icecream ^^. "

"Thank you."

"No problem."

He waited for Utau to walk up and then took her hand and rubbed circles with his thumb, "Baaya-san will get your icecream once we get inside."

She nodded and placed her hand on her stomach, "I can hold on so you can hold on too."

Tadase's POV

Having known Fujisaki-kun for a long time, it came as a surprise to me to see just how large his family is. It's completely mind blowing, and I live with my family in a traditionaly house as well. But the rest of my family lives in Northern Japan and they're not a very big family. We all got a good look at the majority of his relatives and many share the same long purple hair that he has. Others had brown hair or blue-ish color hair. And they were all wearing kimonos except for a few children.

Finally, we made it to what I'm guessing was the Main House. It was larger than the other houses and many of Fujisaki-kun's relatives were entering it. We made our way in as well, taking off our shoes at the enterance and following Goro down many halls. Baaya-sama left our group back at the enterance but rejoined us when we reached a room that didn't look any different from the others we passed. But inside we could hear voices and shadows of many people.

Baaya-sama handed Utau-nee a bowl and spoon with what looked to be Strawberry icecream. Utau-nee thanked her.

"This is the meeting room, please have a seat inside." Goro-sama opened the doors for us and we all followed Fujisaki-san inside.

The minute we stepped foot inside, the entire room hushed into silence, all eyes on us. There were a number of reasons why the entire walk to where we were sitting was nerve racking. First, you could feel glares coming from specific people. Then, there was the whispering that hasn't stopped even now. There was also the fact that the majority of the people in the room were woman but we couldn't be sure because of the Fujisaki tradition.

Sitting across from where we all sat, was the reason why we were here. Aiko-san sat on the cushion with her eyes narrowed at Mashiro-san. Her parents were sitting next to her like statues, head bowed, eyes closed, hands hidden in their kimono sleeves.

Getting tired of watching Aiko-san glare at Mashiro-san, I leaned forward since I sat at the end of the line of cushions and quietly called down to Fujisaki-kun, "When is this going to start?"

"I've only been to one of these in my life. The elders take forever to show up and the whole meeting takes about two to three days minimum." At that last part, Utau choked on her icecream. Kukai started to pat her back to help her.

"Two to three days MINIMUM!" Mashiro-san whispered/shouted.

"This is why I wanted you to stay home, Rima. I know how impatient you are."

"Hell, we all should've stayed home," Ikuto-nii said but recieved a blow to his side by Amu-chan's elbow.

Mashiro-san ignored Ikuto-nii's groans of pain and frowned at Fujisaki-kun, "Look, I may be impatient but I'm not letting you go through this alone. We're getting married. And a marriage requires for us to work together. Understand?"

He smiled kindly at her and nodded, kissing her forehead. But once he did that, I think he just worsen the tension in the room. Especially the glare coming from Aiko-san. You can easily tell that she was looking her self control to stay put instead of us attacking Rima like she did at Seiyou. But what was funny was that Mashiro-san didn't give her her normal death glare that could kill on the spot, instead it was Fujisaki-san who was glaring back. It was an amusing sight until she stopped and told us to be quiet.

"The elders are about to walk in. Keep your heads bowed."

So we did. We bowed our heads in the similar way that Fujisaki-san was but even I couldn't help myself from peeking up to watch the elders walk in.

Ikuto's POV

Okay, just about all of us were looking up to see these elders. And let me tell you, I've seen some old people in my time but these people take the cake. If I had to guess their ages, I'd round them all up to 90 or 100. There were five of them, three men and two women. You could easily tell that they were beautiful and handsome people when they had their youth but age has pulled their skin and bent their bones.

As they were walking in, I already didn't like one. One of the women, she had pure gray hair, wore a light purple kimono, her body wasn't effect by age as much as the others were. She walked with her back straight and an aura of superiority radiating off her.

They finally sat down at the front of the room where it raised above the rest of the room. You actually had to look up at them. We were able to raise our heads but no one spoke yet. That is, until Fujisaki-san and Aiko's father stood and walked to the center of the room.

"Explain as to why we have all been summoned today," stated the man that was probably the oldest of the five. That's my guess though.

"Elder, about eighteen years ago," Aiko's father started, "My cousin-"

"Three times removed," Fujisaki-san added quickly earning her a sharp glare from the elders but she shrugged it off.

"Thirteen years ago, she and I made an agreement to have our children wed."

"Is this true, Annaki?"

"Yes, Elder."

The kinder looking women spoke next, "Then why was it that you decided to break this agreement?"

"Hisano-sama, understand-"

"As a Fujisaki woman, you must have full knowledge of our family traditions." This time the bat spoke, glaring at Fujisaki-san like a harpy. Fujisaki-san's jaw was clenched tightly and her body was stiff. The bat continued, "Therefore, clearly, you delibrately went against our tradition, _AGAIN_, and broke your agreement."

_Again? So this isn't the first time she's went against her family._

Haru's POV

_That old woman is strict_, I thought.

"If you will allow me to _TALK_, Miya-sama, I will explain." _And Fujisaki-san doesn't take bullshit._ We all had to cover out mouths just to keep laughs from escaping us. We were quickly quiet by Miya-sama. "You see, I made the agreement for my son, Nagihiko, to marry Aiko when he was only five. Around that time, I was still living here at the estate and my husband was still alive. I made the agreement because I know what my son had to go through due to our traditions and I honestly, did not have any hope that he was going to find a wife that would accept the family traditions outside the family. But he changed his life on his own. He gave up his name as Nadeshiko. He continued to live as a young man. He found a girl worth marrying. That's why, we are here. Because my son wants to marry a woman outside the family."

Another one of the elders spoke to Aiko's father, "Have you met this woman?"

"No, Shino-sama, but my daughter has."

"Very well. Be seated. Aiko, Nagihiko, please come up."

Fujisaki-san walked back towards us and she was grumbling and swearing under her breath as she sat down. Nagihiko stood up-I dont know how, I lost all feeling in my legs from sitting on them-and stood infront of the elders with Aiko just a foot next to him.

"Were the two of you aware of this arangement between your parents?"

"Yes. / No, Elder."

The Elder blinked quickly and turned to Nagihiko who responded with the 'No'. "No, you say? And why's that?"

"Well, because my mother didn't believe I could find myself a wife, she didn't think it necassary to tell me about the betrothal. I was only notified of this after I finished High School. By then, I was already seeing my fiancee, Mashiro Rima."

"Ha! Why am I not surprised?" Miya-sama laughed, "She didn't have the decency to tell her son that he was to be married to a Fujisaki woman."

How we knew Fujisaki-san was about to respond to that comment was beyond us. All I know, is that we noticed her ready to jump and Rima was the first one to push her down and cover her mouth the rest of us doing the same. This resulted in another glare from Miya-sama, Nagihiko to do a face-palm, and Aiko to smirk. We weren't do so well.

"With all due respect, Miya-sama, please refrain from speaking like that to my mother. She...doesn't take insults very well."

"I will speak however I want to whoever I want."

"Enough, Miya." That was other elder that hasn't spoken until now. "Nagihiko, have this Mashiro Rima-san come up."

He looked over at us, at Rima, and nodded his head. We untangled ourselves from each other and Rima stood up and walked up next to Nagihiko.

There, Miya-sama started to laugh. "You mean to tell me, that this petite little girl your fiancee, let alone a woman? She appears as if she were still in High School."

The next to face-palm was Amu, Lulu, Utau, and Akane. We all know perfectly well how touchy Rima is about her height. But we were all blown away when she put her doll smile and responded with "Thank you. I take that as a compliment. Usually I'm compared to an elemantry schooler."

"What is she doing?" Akane asked.

Utau smirked, "Playing the old bat's game."

Tadase was covering his face with his hands but was peeking through his fingers, "This won't end well, will it?"

"Guess we have to sit back and watch."

* * *

**Yay! I managed to get this finished quickly :)**

**Hope you all liked it. I enjoyed writing it. I'll have the next chapter up soon hopefully.**

**Please R&R.**


	21. Your Insults Are Welcomed

**I don't own Shugo Chara. havent said this in a while, so i'm saying it now just to be safe. lol**

* * *

The room filled with whispers at Rima's responce to the bitter Elder.

"Miya, please. I asked for her to stand, therefore, I will speak with her." Miya-sama gave a loud "hmph" and looked away as Rima held back a smirk. The quiet elder then looked at Rima, "Now, Mashiro-san, was it?" She nodded. "You do know about our family's tradition, correct?"

"Yes." Nagihiko poked her and whispered the man's name in her ear. "Uh, yes, Hiroshi-sama."

"Tell us how was it you learned of it."

"Well, uh, how to explain this...It was back in middle school and we were doing Guardian work. The Guardians were similar to a student counsil at our school. Anyway, we were doing work and I was paired up with Nagihiko. I didn't really like him back then. I was jealous of him because I thought he would steal my best friend from me. So, I was always watching him closely to catch the slightest fault. Then, on that specific day, he let it slip and I pieced the pieces together. He asked me to keep it a secret until he was ready to tell everyone else. So, I kept it a secret."

Nagihiko gave a mental sigh of relief that Rima was an excellent liar. He knew perfectly well that wasn't how she found out, although the last part was true, but how else was she suppose to tell the Elders that it was due to a Character Transformation?

"Really now?"

"And how do you feel about the tradition?" the Elder asked.

"Uh...Do you want the truth or a lie?"

The elders were shocked by her responce but Miya-sama spoke, "Go ahead, tell us the lie."

Rima took a deep breath and then put on her innocent, doll face along with the famous sparkle attack she learned from Tadase. Her friends shielded their eyes from the sparkle attack. "It's like looking at ten Tadase's using the sparkle attack!" Kukai joked.

"Hey!"

"I think the tradition is absolutely adorable. I dont think Nagihiko should've given up his identity as Nadeshiko. I hope to put my children through it as well." Once she finished talking, she killed the sparkles and but on a serious face. Nagihiko was ready to die.

"How dare you mock our tradition," Miya-sama hissed, "Our family has been praticing and performing kabuki for centuries! You have no right to ridicule us!"

"And you have no right to force boys at a young age to dress up like girls their whole lives!" All Fujisakis gasped at the tone of voice Rima used with Miya-sama. Everything became quiet with the exception of a whispered "Oh shit" from Ikuto and Utau.

But Miya-sama was the most shocked. "You will not speak to me in such a manner! You are nothing but an outsider in this family! Your will be silent or leave and forget marrying Nagihiko!"

"Rima," Nagihiko placed his hands on her shoulder and turned her to him, "Calm down. Yelling won't help us here."

"Let me go." She pulled away from Nagihiko and turned back to the elders with a determined face. "I may be an outsider to _this_ part of the family but I'm defiantly no outsider in Nagihiko's family. I love Nagi and I think of Anneki-san as my friend. Baaya-chan has been sweet to me and so has the rest of the staff. And as for the tradition, I'm fine with the tradition. I think the dancing it beautiful. I've seen how Nagihiko's dances and I've seen some of your performances on video and you are all some the most graceful people I've ever seen! But having to force a small boy to wear girl clothes, sound like a girl, basically be a girl...How can that not bother you? They were born boys for a reason. To _be_ boys. To run around and be reckless and tease girls and play sports and all those things boys do." She turned her gaze to the elder men, "You can't say no and say that everything I've said is false. I'm sure that as you were growing up as a boy disguised as a girl, you wanted to shed the mask and be what you were born as."

The gang was about to get up to take Rima away so she could calm down when Fujisaki-san held them back, "Hold on. Look."

Looking up, they were surprised to see the expressions on the elders' faces.

"They're actually listening to Rima," Amu smiled.

"Don't get your hopes too high," Ikuto frowned, and pointed at Miya-sama who was red in the face.

"You see, elders? This girl is not fit be married into this family. She is rebelious and speaks out. She's like my Aunt sitting over there," Aiko spoke towards the elders but her focus was on Miya-sama. "But I wouldn't do such a thing."

"Why, you pompous-Ugh!" Rima cut herself off and took a deep breath, "You know what? Thank you."

"What the hell?" Lulu gasped.

Aiko took a step back, "You're...thanking me?"

"Rima, what are you planning?" Nagihiko whispered.

"Yes, I am thanking you. You compared me to Anneki-san. And to me that's a compliment because you know why? Because Anneki-san is a freakin' awesome woman!"

"Rima-chan~" Tadase, Lulu, Amu, Ikuto, Akane, Haru, Utau, and Kukai looked at Fujisaki-san and sweat dropped. She was wiping tears of joy from her eyes from what Rima said about her.

Aiko balled her hands into fists and yelled, "You are not a Fujisaki woman! You don't belong in this family, _Mashiro_!"

"I am a Mashiro. I come from a family full of company owners and lawyers. My family is dull and strict and has "traditions" of it's own. So I know what the hell is going on here."

"Rima's family own companies and are lawyers?" Akane asked Amu but only recieved a confused shrug.

"But just because I'm a Mashiro, doesnt mean I dont belong in the family. It doesnt mean that I can't be with Nagi. If I have to accept the tradition and force it on my kids to be with him, I'll do it. If I have to accept Nagihiko dressing as Nadeshiko again, I'll do it. If I have to come to these family meetings to be critisized by people like you, I'll do it."

Silence filled the room, you could easily hear Rima's heavy breathing from yelling. Everyone was taking back by Rima's words that they were all speechless, including Aiko. But Miya-sama had plenty to say, or really, just six words.

"Big words for someone so small."

"That's it!" Rima was ready to argue with the old woman for as long as it took.

But she was pulled into strong arms and a hand gently covering her mouth, "That's enough, Rima-chan." She looked up at Nagihiko was looking down at her with honey eyes filled with love for the petite woman he was holding. She spoke into his hand but it came out muffled. He shook his head and kissed her forehead, "You did enough." Quickly, Rima relaxed into his arms and pressed his hand into her face to carrase her cheek. He looked up and smiled at the elders, "I think we can all agree that enough has been said for now. Let's continue this tomorrow."

Miya-sama opened her mouth in protest but the Elder spoke before she could, "Agreed." He raised his voice for everyone else in the room to hear, "We will continue this meeting tomorrow at noon."

And with that, everyone started to disperse, some leaving the room while others remained. As for the gang, they were trying to get up but their legs were asleep.

"I can't get up!" Amu cried.

"Fujisaki-san, help!" Kukai held his hand out to her since she was standing. She pulled him up only for him to collapse again. "Ow."

"Ugh, how do you sit on your legs like that for so long?" Akane sighed as she changed her sitting position to sitting on her butt and laying her legs stretched out.

"It takes years to get use to it," Fujisaki-san chuckled, "Seems Tadase-kun and Ikuto-kun and Utau-chan have had that practice."

"Whaa! How!" Kukai cried.

Ikuto shrugged, "It's how we sat at Tadase's when we were younger. Still do."

"Lucky."

"So Mother," everyone looked up to Nagihiko and Rima walking over, "Are we staying here at the estate tonight?"

"Unfortuantly," she sighed.

"It can't be all that bad, can it?" Lulu tried to be optimistic.

"That depends on your choice of 'bad'."

They all shared a look before turning to Nagihiko who only shook his head. Then, Goro walked up to them, "The elders would like you all to stay. They wish to talk to you. Except for Mistress, Young Master, and Mashiro-san. I'll be showing you to your rooms."

"Alright then. Bye guys," Fujisaki-san waved bye to them casually.

"Ehhh! You can't just leave us here!" Amu threw her arms around in a panic.

"We can't stay. The elders want to speak to you. Not us," Nagihiko chuckled sympatheticly. "Goro-san will show you to your rooms once you're done here."

"Fine," they sighed in defeat.

"Eh, Miya-sama is leaving," Tadase pointed out. They watched as she made her way out of the room, obviously fuming.

"But wasn't she suppose to talk to us?"

Goro shook his head, "Miya-sama says that she has all the information she needs for her verdict. She doesn't wish to speak with you."

"Damn, I feel hurt," Ikuto pouted, making Amu giggle.

"Well, we'll see you guys later," Rima waved bye to them and followed Goro with Nagihiko and his mother out of the room.

Turns out they had to wait for the room to fully clear out. It took forever because children kept coming in to see the rumored Utau being in their estate. She signed for them and talked with them a little before they dashed off to get to their dance practices. Once alone with the Elders, they motioned them over to the center of the room. They stood up and stood before them.

"We'd like to hear you're opinion of this whole situation," Hisano-san smiled at them, "Obvisously, you all have something to say."

"Uh, Yeah," Ikuto answered for everyone awkwardly.

"Then let's begin."

* * *

**There :) Chapters up. Hope you all liked. **

**I know that this story has more Rimahiko than the other couples but I like them a lot but I'm also going to work with Kutua, what with the pregnancy and the wedding. I'm planning to finish this meeting thing in the next chapter to continue the story. Look forward to it ;D**

**R&R please**


	22. You Can Find Stars In The City

**Hi guys. I should start to get back in the habit of doing the disclaimers before I get in trouble ^^''**

**So yeah. Here are a few things. Schools going to end in about a month and my teachers are giving more work because they have more stuff to teach before our finals. Joy -_-. In other words, I'll be busy with school work and finals. As for the summer, yeah I'm taking four AP classes next year and so I'm gonna be stuck with a lot of projects. Hopefully I'll be able to get a chapter in here-and-there when i get the chance.**

**That's all for that. Now, onto the story.**

**I don't own Shugo Chara, Peach-Pit does. Because if I did own the anime, there would be an afterstory XD**

* * *

The following day, the same people entered the meeting room and were anxious for the meeting to start, even more relatives joined causing a crowd. They wanted to hear what the famously talked about short blond woman will say to their elders, to Miya-sama. Over a night the entire situation became celebrity gossip throughout the estate. Even the children were curious as to how it would end.

"I think we're doing good," Fujisaki-san smiled as they sat down on the same cushions as yesterday.

"Shrimp yelled at the old bat like there was no tomorrow yesterday. What makes you think Girly-Boy and Shrimp have a chance?"

"You know, you can stop refering to us as Girly-Boy and Shrimp," Rima glared at Ikuto but only chuckled. She then turned to Fujisaki-san, "but he's got a point, how do you know we still have a chance?"

"After you all went to bed, I was wandering the estate for old time sake. I over heard the children talking about you, Rima. They like you because you mentioned how our tradition shouldnt make the boys be forced to be girls. Many of the girls agree with you as well. The only ones who are really on Aiko's side are most likely the elderly of the family."

"Well, that should give some hope," Akane nodded.

Amu tapped a few of them on the arm, "Minna, they're walking in."

They took the same position as yesterday when the elders first walked in. But although everything appeared the same, Lulu peeked up, _Something's different._

The elders kneeled on their cushions and looked over those in the room. The gang could feel as their eyes swept over them.

"Aiko, Nagihiko, Rima, please walk up."

Kukai leaned over to Fujisaki-san and whispered to her, "Is it a good thing that they called Mashiro by her first name?"

She smiled brightly, "Yes, it's a very good thing."

"Now, do any of you have any last words before we give our answer?" the Elder asked. Aiko opened her mouth to speak but closed it when she noticed how Nagihiko slipped his hand into Rima's and they shook their head. The Elder gave her look as if yo say "Go on" but she shook her head. "Then let's begin. The elders and myself of the Fujisaki family has come to a decision concerning the betrothal of Fujisaki Aiko and Fujisaki Nagihiko as well as the engagement between Fujisaki Nagihiko and Mashiro Rima. Shino-san?"

Shino-san straightened up a little and looked directly at the three standing before them. Then his lips that were pressed firmly into a line pulled up into a small smile, "I approve of the engagement to the Mashiro girl."

Nagihiko and Rima let go of a held breath as so did some of the others in the room on their side. Their friends gave a quick cheer before they quickly shut up after recieving a glare from Miya-sama. As for Aiko and her parents, they weren't very happy.

"Hisano-san?"

The kind women didn't hesitate to smile and nod, "I also agree to their engagement."

"Hiroshi-san?"

"I agree."

"That's three out of five," Tadase smiled.

"Miya-san?"

"Unless she has the stronger vote," Ikuto frowned.

Miya-sama stared at Rima with a straight face. You couldn't tell what she was thinking at all. "Mashiro Rima, you walked into my family's estate wanting permission to marry one of my family members who was promised to marry another."

"I understand that."

"Then, you will accept the decision that will be made by myself and the other elders."

Rima bit her lip and glanced over at Aiko who had her head down as if in prayer then she glanced at Nagihiko, standing the same way. "Yes, I'll accept the decision."

"Very well then." She paused then nodded, "I agree to your engagement with Nagihiko."

The Nagihiko's and Aiko's head shot up in shock and Rima's mouth was hanging open and smiling. Then, in the mist of the shock, Kukai jumped up and laughed, "Yes!"

The room erupted in joy. The gang quickly stood up and ran to give their friends a group hug.

"No! This can't be!" Aiko cried.

Rima looked at Aiko and smiled innocently, "I won." She then turned to the Elder who smiled kindly at her and nodded, giving his approval.

* * *

"I still can't believe that Miya-sama said yes," Ikuto said, sitting down.

"Me neither," Amu shook her head, "When she walked out yesterday, she looked completely pissed off with Rima. Why would she allow her to marry Nagihiko?"

"Such support, Amu."

"Oh, you know what I mean, Nagi."

"Yeah, I'm just kidding with you."

"But Amu-chan does have a point," Tadase added.

"What did you guys tell the elders yesterday when they asked for you to stay?" Nagihiko asked.

"The normal stuff."

"That you guys were meant for each other basically," Amu smiled innocently.

"And they just accepted that?"

"I guess so."

"Guys." Everyone turned to Rima who was fiddeling with a strand of her hair, "I should tell you...I spoke to Miya-sama last night."

"Eh!"

"When did you speak to the bat?"

"Ikuto!"

"What? She is."

"Nagi was already asleep. Baaya was showing me to the kitchen to get a drink when I got lost in the hallways."

_Flashback_

Dang it, I'm lost_. Rima looked down the hall she just came from and the hallway ahead for Baaya but found no one. Sighing, she sat down on the ledge of the porch that she was currently on. The night breeze was sweet and calming that Rima was glad that she wore her casual pajamas of a white tanktop and orange shorts. Her hair that was tied up swayed in the wind along to the chirping crickets and the bamboo hitting the stone after spilling water into the pound not that far away. Since her feet grazed the ground, she kicked them gently, enjoying the feeling of the tips of the grass brushing against her toes. "It's so tranquil." She looked up at the sky and gasped at the sight. The moon was full and was shining at it's fullest glow, outshining the scattered stars around it. _

_"You can't see a sky like that in the city."_

_The voice shocked Rima. She turned in the direction of the voice and was even more shocked to see who it was. "Miya...sama." Rima noticed how Miya-sama didnt have her eyes narrowed at her like she expected her to do but that didn't mean that she couldn't see the disapproving look in them. "Uh...No, the city lights and pollution block the stars."_

_Then, it was at that moment that her eyes narrowed but now in anger. _It's like she's trying to figure me out_. _

_Miya-sama took a few steps forward before sitting down next to Rima. She pulled the shawl she was wearing tighter around her old body and let her slippers slip off her feet and onto the ground. "I know. That's why I hate the city. I don't know why Annaki chose to live there of all places."_

_Rima stared at Miya-sama for a few moments and then spoke, "I use to live in an area very similar to this before I moved to Osaka. I was a little disappointed the first night when I couldn't see the stares but eventually, I got over it."_

_There was silence between them as Rima continued to kick her feet and Miya-sama sat next to her watching the stars. Then, "Tell me, Mashiro, you are obviously a beautiful young girl."_

_"I'm in my twenties -_-''_

_"You can probably infatuate any man if you wanted to. Any man that didn't have a tradition like my families and you could've avoided these problems. So why did you pick Nagihiko?"_

_"Because...Nagihiko understood me. The real me. How can I not choose him?" Rima waited for Miya-sama to say something but she never did. She just continued to sit there. "I already said it earlier today. I don't care if I have to put up with this family and it's traditions. All I want is to be with Nagihiko."_

_"You know, Rima-chan, it isn't impossible to see the stars in the city. It just takes being with the right people. Or person."_

_With that, Miya-sama put her slippers back on and stood up and left. But Rima was too shocked to tell her good night or thank her for the conversation. She was focused on the fact that the bitter elder that had yelled and insulted her earlier that day had called her _Rima-chan_. Not only that, _Did she pet me as she was leaving?

_End of Flashback_

"And that's what happened."

The room was quiet as the story sunk in. Then Nagihiko wrapped his around Rima's shoulders and laughed, "You never cease to amaze me, Rima-chan."

* * *

**Yes! I finally finished this. I'm sorry again it took so long. (It seems I'm always apologizing for being late :/) I just had my first two exams today plus I was working on a social studies project the week before so yeah.**

**I hope you liked it. R&R please.**


	23. Afraid To See The Doctor

**I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter :)**

**I dont own Shugo Chara, Peach-Pit Does**

* * *

The trip back home was long and tiring, having to be cramped into a car for hours. It was a relief to the gang that they made it back to Osaka.

Once they were back, they started working on upcoming events.

Akane and Utau went straight to getting their concert together with Ikuto, Yukari, and Aruto.

With Akane busy, Haru took the time to work on new pieces for a new gallery with Daigo helping.

Once Utau and Iktuo had some free time, they were with their fiancees planning out their weddings, Kukai and utau buying baby supplies as well and going to check ups.

Although they wanted to join their engaged friends in the wedding planning, Rima and Nagihiko were stuck with Nagihiko's mom and Baaya who were going crazy with the planning.

Tadase and Lulu started to spend more time at Seiyou thanks to Tsukasa's absences. The strange principle became bedwritten with a cold and asked Tadase to take his place while he was gone.

Aoi hade her time filled that she would always come home later than Akane. She would be stuck at the school with Guardian work, club work, helping teachers, and clean up and then getting home to do homework.

Yaya and Kairi have been busy with school that they haven't gotten the chance to visit their friends that they havent seen in a long time.

Everything seems okay but let's get behind the story.

* * *

The gang was hanging out at Rima's bakery having nothing else to do on the raining Saturday afternoon. Business was slow because of the rain that it gave Rima, Nagihiko, and Amu the chance to sit down and talk to their friends.

"She's going completely overboard with the planning," Rima pulled her hair, "Like seriously? Dancing dolphins?"

Everyone laughed as they pictured dancing dolphins as Rima and Nagihiko said their vows.

"I wouldn't mind seeing that for a good laugh during the wedding," Haru joked earning a slap on the arm from Akane.

"Just tell your mom that you guys want to do the planning," Lulu jumped in.

"She wont listen to us," Nagihiko sighed, "We've been trying the past few days but she's having too much fun."

"It's hell."

"How about you four," Tadase turned to Amu, Ikuto, Utau, and Kukai. "how's the planning going?"

"Great. Our wedding planner knows just what we want," Amu smiled.

"He's doing a great job," Utau nodded, "Even if the guys want to get rid of him."

"He gives us the creeps," Kukai jumped up with comic fear on his face.

"Too bad."

"Oh, and how's the concert going?"

"Actually, we're done," Akane casually said taking a bite of a chocolate chip cookie.

"Really? So when's the concert?" Rima asked taking a cookie from Akane's plate.

Ikuto took a cookie too, recieving the same glare Akane gave Rima, "Tickets are already being sold. The shows in a week. We already have reserved seats for you all."

"You saved a seat for Aoi and Daigo this time right?"

"About that, I didn't."

"Ikuto, I'm going to kill you -_-."

As Haru put down Akane's 'threatening' cookie, Amu turned to Ikuto and asked him why. "I'm sworn to secretsy. I can't tell."

"Utau, do you know anything?"

Utau zipped her lips shut and threw away the key, crossing her arms like Ikuto. Akane narrowed her eyes at them then pushed her chair back and stood up, "Fine, don't tell me. I'll just ask them."

They watched Akane leave the bakery. Once she was outside, Haru turned to the Tsukiyomi siblings. "Why won't you reserve seats for Aoi and Daigo?"

"We already told you, we can't say."

"But I did save seats for the Guardians as a request from Aoi."

Lulu raised an eyebrow, "So Aoi's not going but her friends are? What sense does that make?"

"To us, it makes a lot of sense," Utau pointed at herself and her brother, "But you guys, you'll just have to find out at the concert."

"Tsukyomi's, they all share the same brain," Amu sighed.

* * *

Kukai stood outside Utau's UltraSound Doctor's office and knocked. When he recieved the call from him yesterday, Kukai began to fear the worst. All his worrying about the chances that there was something wrong with the baby just heightened with just one phone call.

_Flashback_

_Utau was out with Akane and Ikuto working on the concert while Kukai was at home doing homework he hasn't done since the Holiday was given to the students of the college he goes too. He forgot he even goes to college still. It's been so long since he's been there._

_As he was in the middle of a problem, his cell phone rang. Still focused on the question, he didn't check the caller ID, thinking it was Utau._

_"Hey."_

_"Souma-kun?"_

_Recognizing the deep voice, Kukai put his pencil down and sat up straighter in surprise, "Oh, Dr. Hibino. Sorry, I thought you were Utau."_

_The man gave a small chuckle, "That's alright. Anyways, I called to ask if you and Tsukiyomi-chan could come down to my office tomorrow afternoon. Around 4?"_

_"Uh, alright. But why? We just went in for the usual check up the day before. Is something wrong?"_

_There was a short pause that frightened Kukai and a sigh from the other line, "I'd like to speak to you both about it instead of on the phone."_

_"O-Okay. Then I'll see you tomorrow."_

_"Tomorrow then. Good night."_

_"Good night." _

_After he hung up, Kukai put his head down and tried his best not to cry._

_End of Flashback_

Kukai didn't know how to tell Utau about the meeting when she got him. Instead, he tried to play it off and told her that they had somewhere to go tomorrow afternoon. When she realized that they were heading to Dr. Hibino's office, she held onto Kukai's hand tightly and looked at Kukai with confusion and fear in her eyes.

"Why are we here, Kukai?"

"Dr. Hibino called yesterday to meet with us."

"You didn't tell me this!"

"Come in." Kukai gave Utau a look that said _Not now_ and then opened the door and stepped inside with her. Dr. Hibino looked up from some papers he was looking at and took off his reading glasses. "Ah, just in time. Take a seat please." Once Kukai and Utau were seated, Dr. Hibino opened a drawer in his desk and took out a large folder. Opening it, he placed several pictures from Utau's Ultrasound. "Now, these are pictures of your baby in the first few visits we've had. You recognize them?"

"Yes."

"Now, these are the more recent ones." Above the ones that were already placed out, the doctor placed the new pictures that Kukai and Utau did not get the chance to take home because the doctor said he'd like to keep them for a while. "I've kept this pictures because during the Ultrasound, I thought I saw something odd. But I didn't want to scare either one of you so I kept quiet and looked at the pictures with my colleages." Kukai and Utau nodded in understanding but reached for each other's hand for comfort. "But I think you deserve the truth now. Take a look here." He circled a specific area with his finger in each of the recent pictures. "These areas are the baby's legs. What my colleages and I have noticed is that the baby has not moved it's legs at all."

"What?"

"No, that's not true," Utau shook her head and cradeled her belly, "The baby's moved it's legs. I've felt it kick. Everytime I get those strong cravings."

"I understand that, Tsukiyomi-chan but what I've come to believe is that the baby did not kick you but what you felt was it's hand. The baby's hands are curled up into fists still, the baby could've punched you from the inside. Not kick."

"So what are you saying?" Kukai jumped up from his seat, "That my baby can't move it's legs?"

Dr. Hibino sighed, "Yes. I'm sorry to tell you this, but it is believed that your baby will be born paralyzed from the waist down."

* * *

**Okay, I'm sorry about the really long wait but here's the chapter. I hope you liked the cliffhanger. **

**R&R please!**


	24. Paying My Dues Is All

**I do not own Shugo Chara_._**

* * *

Lulu and Tadase were sitting in their living room watching TV peacfully as the rain turned into a soft lull outside. Lulu was starting to drift off against Tadase's chest as he ran his fingers through her long blond hair. Just as his eye lids started to fall shut, Tadase's cell rang. Quietly groaning, he carefully reached over to the side table next to him where his phone was buzzing without waking Lulu. But that was without vail. The buzzing stirred Lulu, waking her up.

Finally grabbing the phone, he checked caller ID before answering.

"Ikuto-nii?"

"Tadase, meet us at the bar in five."

"What?" He looked at his wrist watch and read the time; 6:24. "I have work tomorrow."

"I know but Kukai wants us to meet him there."

"Why? Did something happen between him and Utau?"

"What's going on Tadase?" Lulu asked in a whisper.

He shrugged his shoulders at Lulu and listened to Ikuto, "I'm not too sure but something's defiantly up. Ask Lulu to go over and be with Utau. The girls are heading over there right now."

"Alright. I'll be there."

"'Kay. See ya."

Once off the phone, Lulu sat up to let Tadase off the couch. "Is something wrong?"

"We're not sure yet. Kukai called Ikuto-nii and asked for me and the guys to meet him at the bar. Ikuto-nii is asking for you to go check up on Utau-nee with the girls."

"Yeah, of course, I'll head right over."

Lulu got up and got her purse and shoes. Tadase came up behind her and helped her into her jacket. They grabbed their car keys and then stepped out into the rain with their umbrellas wondering what's going on.

* * *

"So let me get this straight." Akane stood from table and paced towards the kitchen. "You mean to tell me that neither one of you will be going to my concert because you're not?"

"Akane-nee, I know you're upset but you'll understand why later," Daigo walked over to Akane.

She turned around and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. Akane looked from Daigo standing in front of her to Aoi sitting at the table turned towards them and Haru sitting on the stairs. When her eyes met Haru's, he gave her a reassuring smile and nodded his head. She sighed, "Fine. I'll leave you guys alone."

"Hey, Aka." Haru called her with his cell to his ear, "Ikuto is asking for you to go over to Utau's to check on her. Amu is already there and Lulu and Rima are on there way there."

"Is she okay?"

"Turns out both Kukai and Utau are depressed about something. Kukai's asking the guys to meet at the bar."

"Then let's get going. Drop me off at Utau's first."

"Okay." He spoke into the cell this time, "We're heading out right now, Ikuto. See you in a bit."

Akane turned to Aoi and Daigo and pointed at Aoi, "You're incharge."

"Obviously," she laughed.

"When will I be in charge?" Daigo frowned.

"Never, baby brother~"

"Uresai"

* * *

Rima stepped out of her car with her umbrella keeping her safe from the rain. Quickly, she jogged up to Utau's house and knocked on the door rapidly and rang the bell. She only waited a few seconds before the door flew open by Amu wearing a face that resembled the depressing sky.

"Is it that bad?" Rima asked and received a nod.

Just as Rima closed her umbrella to step inside, Haru's car pulled up and Akane jumped out wearing a jacket only without anything to cover her head. She ran up to the door and Haru drove off. Akane stomped off the water on her shoes and then stepped inside after Rima. They hung up their jackets and followed Amu into the living room where Lulu was sitting next to Utau.

The lively pop-idol looked completely runned down that Rima and Akane had to look closer to realize that it really was their food scarffing-pop singing-fist beating friend. Her hair that was normally up in pigtails ran down her back. Her face was clean of any makeup but tear stains were very visible on her pale face. She was slightly huntched over the cup of tea in her hands with her legs pulled up beside her on the couch. She was no longer in the casual clothes she was wearing earlier that day but instead she was drapped in a purple maternaity night gown that she rarely ever wore to bed.

Utau looked up, acknowledging Akane and Rima's arrival but at the same time seeing right through them, through all of them.

"Utau, did Kukai do something to you?" Rima asked kneeling down in front of her.

Her head barely moved as Utau shook her head no. Then with her free hand she placed her hand on her swelling stomach and curled herself tightly, hiding her eyes with her bangs. Rima and Akane turned to Lulu and Amu for an explaintion but they only shook their heads as if saying they didnt know either. Lulu being the closest to Utau, heard her murmur something.

"What was that?"

"It wasnt his fault. It wasnt my fault. It wasnt our fault."

She continued to repeat herself as she let tears stain her face again. Amu moved closer to Utau and took her hands in hers and made her look up at her. "Tell us what happened, Utau. Please, we want to help you."

* * *

Ikuto, Tadase, Nagihiko, and Haru happened to arrive at the bar at the same time. They gathered at the entrance, Ikuto shaking the rain from his hair and the others taking their jackets off.

"So what's wrong with Kukai?" Nagihiko asked as he rinsed his hair.

"He didnt tell me. He said 'Meet me at the bar with the guys. I need a drink'. And by the sound of it, he was already drinking."

"Well, what we doing standing out here?" Haru turned Tadase and started pushing him inside.

Once inside, they looked around the dim litted room that was playing some old 90s music that added to the drunken atmosphere. But what surprised them the most was the crowd of men and women surrounding the stage where some people have gigs. On stage was Kukai making a complete fool of himself as he does stand-up comedy. The one thought that passed through Nagihiko's mind was that he was glad Rima wasn't here to witness this.

"Ah! My loving, weird haired colored friends. They have finally *_hiccup_* arrived. Come on up, you guys! Say hi to my *_hiccup_* new friends!"

Everyone turned around to stare at the four men making them feel uncomfortable.

Ikuto, being the anti-social person he is, he narrowed his eyes dangerously at Kukai and hissed at him. Although he couldnt hear him, Kukai could see with his intoxicated vision the words Ikuto was mouthing.

_Get off that stage right now or I will kill you, Soccer-Boy!_

"Alright alright. Sorry fellas but looks like I gotta get down now." Graduatly, the crowd thinned until there was none. Kukai jumped down from the stage but tripped at he landed.

His friends walked over to where he sat on the floor. He looked up at them with a stupid grin on his face. Haru crossed his arms, "You're piss drunk."

"You would know, Haru." The comment hit a sore spot in Haru that he had to use all his will power not to beat the living hell out of drunk man. "I need a drink."

"Oh no you don't." Ikuto and Tadase grabbed Kukai's arms and pulled him off the ground and into a chair. Nagihiko stood behind the chair to hold him down as he squirmed to get up but failed. "You're going to tell us why we're here."

"Can't I just call my best guy friends for a few drinks?"

"You've had more than _a few drinks_," Tadase said waving away the waitress Kukai was calling over.

"Oh you're no *_hiccup_* fun, Tadase."

"That's enough!" Ikuto picked up a chair and slammed it down hard on the plywood floor causing Kukai to wince. He sat down and moved the chair closer to Kukai, his midnight blue eyes narrowed and intimitating. "What the hell has gotten into you?"

Kukai started to laugh hysertically. "What's gotten into me? What's gotten into _me_?" His laughter grew louder but they began to hear sobs as well. "What's gotten into me is that I'll never be able to run with my kid. I'll never be able to give them a chance at loving soccer." By now, his laughing stopped and he was choking on sobs as tears fell from his eyes. "Or more importatly, I'll never experience those amazing feelings parents get when their kid takes their first steps! All because my kid won't be able to walk!"

Ikuto looked up, with his eyes wide with shock, at Nagihiko, Tadase, and Haru who shared the expression. Kukai sat on the chair with his hands balled up in his hair crying loudly.

Tadase walked back until his back touched a pillar in the bar. He let himself slip down to the ground staring at Kukai. Stepped away from Kukai and towards Haru. The two stood together with an ache in their chest as they watched Kukai cry like they've never seen before. As for Ikuto, he sat back in his seat trying desperatly to stop the burning in his eyes.

He never realized it but he had grown attached to his niece/nephew without even knowing their name, let alone the gender. He was going to be an uncle. His little sister was going to give birth to her first child for herself and Kukai. Ikuto knew that Kukai was scared something was wrong with the baby when he told them the doctor was hiding something from them but he didnt think anything of it because he believed that the baby would be fine no matter what. But here this news, he felt like someone took a strike to his heart. Blinking back tears and take a deep breath, Ikuto leaned forward, "Kukai...Kukai look at me, please."

Slowly, Kukai let his hand fall from his hair and he looked up at his soon to be brother-in-law. His eyes were blood shot red from crying and from the alcohol and his face was wet from tears. Kukai has been known for his energentic attitude the optimistic-fun glint in his emerald eyes but now as Ikuto looked at his face, he realized that Kukai was capable of being depressed as much as anyone else.

"You," Ikuto had to stop to clear his throat before his voice creaked again, "You can't give up. This is your kid. You're flesh and blood and this baby is growing inside Utau. My little sister. The girl who adores you. The girl you're going to marry. If you give up now because you're kid is going to be disabled then you might as well cancel the wedding and leave my sister because I don't want a Quiter to be with my sister."

At those words, Kukai's drowsy eyes opened with fear and anger. "I'm not a Quiter."

"Really? You're not a Quiter? It sure seems like it to me. Sitting in a bar drinking your sorrows away as Utau has to hold the rest of the baggage on her own."

"That's not true!"

"Oh? So tell me, Kukai, what have you and Utau talked about concerning the baby? Hm?" Ikuto's famous smirk appeared as he pushed Kukai's buttons. When he didn't get a responce, his smirk grew wider, "I thought so. You can't deal with something like this. You're afraid." His smirk disappeared as he stood up to leave, "If you really loved my sister you be by her side right now telling her 'Everything's going to be okay'. Telling her that you dont care that the baby won't be able to walk because the baby will be able to do other things." He stooped down and grabbed Kukai by the collar of his shirt picking him up.

Nagihiko, Haru, and Tadase became alert.

"Ikuto-nii, that's enough. He's hurting."

"Shut up, Tadase. He hasn't hurt enough. Not as much as Utau is probably hurting right now. I warned you back in High School during the time that Utau had half of her personality. If you made her cry again with her personality intacked, I'd kill you. It's time to pay your dues." With that, Ikuto let Kukai go but had his stumbling back after a firm blow to the face. The punch came fast and hard that Kukai was laying on his back.

"Ikuto, what the hell!"

"Kukai!"

Haru and Nagihiko held Ikuto's arms down as Tadase went to check if Kukai was alright. He helped him sit up as Kukai rubbed his cheek that came in contact with Ikuto's fist.

"You're right." Ikuto stopped struggeling against Haru and Nagihiko when he heard Kukai. "You're so right, Ikuto. I deserved to get beaten. I should be by Utau this very moment. I'm such an idiot! How could I do this to Utau? She's probably taking this worse than me. I can't believe that I just left her at home like that. Ikuto, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Please, I'm not a Quiter. I love Utau. I love Chiyo. I don't want to leave them." Kukai looked up at Ikuto with determination and fire in his eyes. "I'll never leave them."

Ikuto smiled at Kukai, accidently letting a tear slip from his left eye, "There's the Kukai we know and find annoying."

Wipping his face on his shirt, he smiled his goofy grin again and Tadase, Haru, and Nagihiko couldn't help but smile as well.

"So Chiyo, huh?" Nagihiko smiled and Kukai nodded. He nudged Ikuto, "Looks like you're having a niece."

* * *

Amu and Rima walked downstairs with an empty tray and gave a sad smile to Lulu and Akane as Amu went to the kitchen to put the tray away.

"It was easy getting her to sleep," Rima sighed, "What with all the crying she's done."

"I can't believe that the baby won't be able to walk," Lulu frowned, running her finger over the rim of the cup in her hand.

Akane shook her head, "There's nothing that can be done, really. Utau and Kukai need to raise this kid to be strong. Like them."

Amu walked back into the room having listened to the conversation she added, "But they seem so weak right now. Just look at Utau. To be honest, it shocked me when Utau said that he just dropped her at home and left."

"That doesnt sound like Kukai."

"Maybe, the news hit him harder than expected," Rima shrugged her shoulders.

The room was quiet with the sound of the pittering rain outside echoing throughout the living room.

When the girls the sound of slamming car doors, Lulu was already fast asleep on one of the couches, Rima and Amu were watching TV and Akane was drifting off being bored of watcing Rima click through the channels. They got up, except for Lulu, and checked the windows. Seeing their fiancees/boyfriends walking up to the door, they quietly went to open it.

Each stepped inside with Ikuto helping Kukai in who was still somewhat drunk. They spent more time at the bar then they wanted trying to sober Kukai before heading home.

"Is he okay?" Amu asked.

"What the hell happened to your face, Kukai?"

The two grinned at the girls and Kukai responded with, "I'm alright. I just had to pay my dues." Neither one of them understood what he meant by that and was even more confused when Nagihiko, Tadase, and Haru chuckled. "Where's Utau?"

"We put her to bed awhile ago. She was really devestated," Rima punched Kukai in the shoulder.

"Ow. I get it. I'm sorry. Now, if you'll excuse me, you guys can home. I'm going to go apologize to my fiancee."

"Fine. I'm tired anyways from crying."

* * *

After seeing his friends out, Kukai locked the front door and checked all the windows before turning the lights off and heading upstairs. He opened the door to their bedroom quietly and could make out Utau's sleeping form. He crept up to the side of the bed, the side she was turned to and croutched down to her eye level.

Gently, and with all the love in his being, Kukai moved some of her hair out of her face and touched her face. He ran the side of his hand down the curve of her face, smiling, as he placed his other hand on her stomach. The light touches were enough to wake Utau. Her eye lids slowly opened to reveal violet orbs and as they adjusted to the darkness she recognized Kukai's emerald ones.

"Kukai."

"Shh shh. I'm here." He softly pushed her back to lay down and then resumed stroking her face. She didnt protest. She lied there and enjoyed his touch. "I'm so sorry that I left you alone to deal with the news. I really am. I should've stayed home and told you everything's going to be okay. And it will. Together we will make things okay for Chiyo. Afterall, she's got an amazing mother."

Utau smiled as she felt tears slip, "And she's got an awesome father."

"I love you, Utau. Everything's going to be okay."

"I love you too, Kukai. And that's all I need to hear."

* * *

**Two chapters in a day! Whoo! After writing the chapter before, I had to continue.**

**Well, I hoped you liked it because I think it's pretty good. Please R&R and I'll try harder to update faster.**


	25. Random Chapter with Aoi

**Hey guys, I'm glad you liked the last two chapter :)**

**I'd like to thank khione123 for her review on the last chapter. It honestly made my day. You have no idea how much the review meant to me. And since I'm in a good thanks to you, I'm gonna give you guys a very nice chapter that'll give you a little hint of the answer to your question about Aoi at the end of chapter 10: Time of Calm.**

**Also, I'd like to point out a little something about Utau's pregnancy. I have no idea as to how far she is because I've completely lost track of how long this has been going on. So I'm going to jump her pregnancy to about 2-3 months just because I think the baby will be able to show signs about being paralyze by then. So yeah. Just to clear that up for anyone who was wondering.**

**Let's get started with the story! I don't own Shugo Chara cause if I did, well, let's just say the anime and manga wouldn't have ended ;)**

* * *

The alarm clock on her bedside table rang violently but it only sent the aquarious haired color girl to hide further in her bed sheets. She only reached out from underneath to turn off the annoying ringing sound. Graduately, her sleep indused mind started to wake and she took her time to get ready for the day.

There was a quick knock on her door and then her brother's voice, "Aoi-nee, wake up. You'll fall asleep again."

"Ugh! Fine."

Throwing the sheets off, Aoi's warm body shivered at the cool air in the room, wanting desperatly to go back to bed. Instead, she went over to her window and opened it to let in the warm air from outside. There was a thin sheet of fog that floated over the ground due to the humidity caused by the harsh rain fall from yesterday. Before she stepped away from the window, she heard the sound of puddles splashing.

"Oi, nice pjs."

Aoi's cheeks heated up slightly at the smirk on her punk clothed friend, Yoshikazu. She stuck her tongue out at him and thanked her middle school friend, Junko, for jabbing him in his side with her elbow. Closing the curtains, Aoi went to her closet and picked out her school uniform. After a quick shower and dressing, Aoi left her room to leave. She stopped outside her sister's room and knocked. There was no answer so she peeked inside. Aoi smiled shyly at the scene of Akane sleeping peacefully in the arms of Haru. "I'm off," she whispered into the room and then closed it quietly.

As she walked downstairs, she heard voices in the living room. Junko was sitting on the couch with Daigo helping him with some undone homework. As for Yoshikazu, Aoi found him raiding her fridge. Junko was the first to notice Aoi. She smiled at her and greeted her with a warm, "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, thanks :)."

"Mornin'. Hey, do you have anything to eat on the way? I didn't get to eat breakfast," Yoshikazu asked poking his head out from the kitchen.

Aoi rolled her eyes at him but couldnt help but giggle. She motioned him over to the storage closet and let him have his pick at the boxes of granola bars, pop tarts, fruit snacks, and other boxed foods.

"Pop tart, please." She reached into the blue box and retrived a silver package and handed it to Yoshikazu who smirked as he pulled her close by the waist. "Thanks."

Although her cheeks were bright red, she pushed him away with a scoff and walked out of the storage closet, "Don't you think it's to early in the morning to be harassing people?"

"Ah, what you call harassing, I call having fun."

Looking back over her shoulder, she shook her head at the Guardian Joker as he took a bite out of the strawberry filled pop tart.

* * *

School seemed to be dragging on for hours to Aoi as she sat in her math class. _Why did I have to get the class that has the bad math teacher? T^T _Completely bored, she began to doodle on her notebook instead of taking notes that will never help her in the class. _I'll just ask Junko for her notes afterschool. Good thing there's no Guardian work today._

Aoi looked down into her bag to see Chiye laying on her books faced up with a bored expression. When she noticed her barer watching her, she rolled around in frustration. Kicking and flailing her arms around within the bag. Deep down, Aoi felt like doing the same thing.

Chiye started to vibrate a little. She got up and floated down to the bottom of the bag and pulled out Aoi's phone that was vibrating with a text message. Aoi checked to make sure the teacher wasn't looking and then unlocked her phone and read the text.

To: _Aoi  
_From: _Kazu-kun_

_Yo, think you can meet me of the roof after this period? I don't feel like going to gym today._

_He's always skipping class_, Aoi thought to herself as she texted him back.

To: _Kazu-kun  
_From_: Aoi_

_Just go to gym, Kazu-kun. Don't you think we should show up sometimes? They'll  
catch you. _

She went back to drawing on her notebook when she recieved a reply.

To: _Aoi  
_From: _Kazu-kun_

_Oh, come on. They never catch me. Well, except for your sister's friend, Hinamori-senpei.  
But that was a fluck. Come on, I really don't want to go. Besides, you know you wanna see me ;)_

The blush crept up to her cheeks quickly and it only worsen when Chiye started laughing at her.

To: _Kazu-kun  
_From:_ Aoi_

_Ha! Don't get so full of yourself. You'll grow a big head that way :P  
And don't lie, it's obvious that it's YOU that wants to see ME._

Feeling proud of her couterback, Aoi smirked in triumph and it grew wider when she got a text but after reading it, it only wiped the smirk off her face and her face to turn beat red.

To: _Aoi  
_From:_ Kazu-kun_

_Okay, you caught me. Is it that obvious?_

Aoi let her burning forehead to touch the desk as Chiye laughed from her bag. "Ne, Aoi, he sent another one." With trembling fingers she reached back into the bag and read the new text.

To: _Aoi  
_From: _Kazu-kun_

_You're face is red isnt it? ;)_

"Shut up!"

"Hanaki-chan, is there something wrong with my teaching?"

All eyes were on Aoi as she sunk in her seat, shaking her head, "Sorry, Sensei."

* * *

"You know, you might not get caught, but I could." Aoi stood at the door of the roof entrance with her arms crossed as she stared at Yoshikazu lying on the concret, with his arms behind his head and eyes closed. "Kazu-kun?" With no responce, she stepped forward and walked to his side. She kneeled down and nudged him a little. "Don't tell me you're asleep."

"And if I am?"

He opened his eyes to reveal warm honey colored eyes only to close them again. Aoi looked around and noticed how quiet it was. "Where's Ichiro, Jirou, and Saburo?"

"They wandered off to play with the others at the Garden."

"Oh."

She sat down next to Yoshikazu and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Her eyes were started to grow heavy until she felt something-or someone-playing with the end of her hair. With her blue-green strands wrapped around his index finger, Yoshikazu asked, "So how's you're sister been?"

"She's okay. She's been going to therapy with Dr. Fujimoto and coming home a littler better. Haru has been helping her a lot too." She contrentated on the strands of hair being twerled around his finger and closed her eyes smiling. "It must be nice to have someone hold you in their arms like how Haru holds my sister."

"You would know if you had a boyfriend. Which still baffles me," he started to sit up, "How does someone like you, kind, sweet, beautiful, smart-everything-not have a boyfriend? I've seen the fan clubs and I've seen Valentine's day, Christmas, Halloween, every other day and there are alot of guys who like you. So how come?"

It was quiet on the roof as Yoshikazu's words seeped in. Both teenagers' faces were red as they looked away from each other. "Is that what you really think about me?"

"D-don't get the wrong idea. I'm only saying what I've heard around the school."

"Hm...You're right about theres a lot of guys who like me but I've always turned them down. I like someone but it's hard to tell if he likes me back."

"How is it hard to tell?"

"Well," she leaned back on her hands and found some courage to look him in the face, "He teases me a lot. I can't tell if he's just playing with me or hiding his feelings."

"Well, if you find out he's playing with you, just tell me and I'll kill him for you."

Her smile turned sad as she turned her eyes down and whispered to herself, "What are you going to do? Punch a mirror?"

"What?"

"N-nothing! Uh...so how have you been? Has your sister written back?"

He didnt answer immediatly. His eyes ran over her face for something, she didn't know, but then he smiled sadly at her and shook his head. "No, but she might be busy with her study so I understand. I'll just have to be patient, right?"

"Right."

"Ne, Aoi?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did Tsukiyomi-san send me and the others tickets to Kasumi and Utau's upcoming concert?"

A wide smile appeared on her face as she eyed the ticket in his hand. "Kazu-kun, you can keep a secret right?"

"Course I can."

"Then let me tell you a little secret that you'll find interesting."

* * *

"You're math teacher really cant teach."

"You just realize this now?"

Junko and Aoi laughed together at the table as they did homework. As they were quietly working in their own notebooks, Junko suddenly asked, "So how exactly is this going to work?"

"What work?"

"You know what I mean."

"Oh! Don't worry about it. I got it all covered."

There was a quiet violin playing, Junko's ringtone. She reached into her bag and got up to answer her phone. Aoi continued working until Junko got back and started packing her things. "I gotta go. Dad wants me back home."

"Alright. I'll walk you home."

Just as they were opening the front door, a fist stopped very close to Aoi's face. The fist retreated and they noticed Yoshikazu's apologetic expression, "Sorry! I didn't know you were coming out."

Aoi shook off the shock and Junko laughed nervously, "At least you stopped in time before you punched Aoi in the face. That wouldn't have been pretty."

"Hell yeah. I would've kicked your ass!" Aoi threatened him.

Yoshikazu smirked and leaned closer to Aoi's face, "You wouldn't hurt me."

Mirroring his actions, Aoi replied with a smug, "Don't tempt me."

"Well! I need to get home and I can see that Ito-kun came here to talk to you Aoi so I'll just go."

"Wait, Junko!"

"Oi, I told you, you can just call me Yoshikazu or Kazu."

"I'll see you at school tomorrow, Aoi, Ito-kun!" Junko waved bye as she turned the corner.

Standing at the door, staring at nothing started to feel awkward to Aoi so she sighed and walked back inside, "So, something wrong?"

"What makes you think something's wrong?" Yoshikazu closed the door behind him and took a seat on the couch.

"You dont normally come to my house during the day. You'd text me if you were bored."

"Well, it's not that something's wrong."

"Oh, then what is it?" Aoi looked up from piling her homework together at Yoshikazu on the couch and was caught in her tracks. He was watching her from behind a couch cushion attentively. There was a slight pink color on his cheeks that didn't go unnoticed by her. She couldn't help but think he looked really cute. _More than usual_.

"Aoi, there's something that I've been meaning to tell you for a very long time." He pushed himself off the couch and walked over to Aoi. As he got closer, her heart started beating rapidly in her chest as if it were ready to burst. She backed up against the table unintentionaly allowing Yoshikazu to trap her there by placing his hands on the table on each side of her.

"K-Kazu-kun, what are you doing?"

The pink hue on his face turned darker as his eyes held hers, "When we were on the school roof today, and I said all those nice things about you...I told you that thats what I heard from other people."

"Y-yeah."

"I kind of lied about that. I didn't really hear that from people. They're what I think of you. And I meant what I said."

"Kazu-"

"Let me just say this, please?" Aoi felt like pudding. If she wasnt holding onto the table behind her she probably would've collapsed by now. By now, her heart was loud in her ears. _I REALLY hope he cant hear it._ Then she noticed that he was moving his face closer to hers, causing her breath to be stuck in her chest. His forehead pressed gently against hers and she couldnt tell if the heat was coming from her face or from his. She tried to look at something else, anything else. The floor, his shirt, the chair, anything but those alluring eyes that were right in front of her. But no matter what, her eyes found his anyways. "Aoi, I think I'm in love with you."

Before the words can take its full toll on Aoi, the door opened with Akane and Haru walking in with bags. As soon as the door opened, Yoshikazu was already on the other side of the room by the window trying to get rid of the blush on his face and calm his beating heart.

Akane and Haru stopped at the door and looked from the red face statue at the table to the orange-top teenager hanging out the window. It didnt take them long to realize what was going on. Quietly, they closed the door, put their bags down, and walk upstairs without a word. The silence settled in and so did Yoshikazu's words.

"Kazu-"

"U-Uh! I gotta get home! I'll see you tomorrow!"

Without looking up at Aoi, Yoshikazu ran out of the house without another word. Once he was gone, Aoi fell to her knees and stared at the open door. Then, she grabbed at her hair and screamed, "Damn you, Akane! Haru!"

"We're sorry!" the couple called down from upstairs.

* * *

**So theres that. A random chapter but hey, they're needed every now and then, right? lol**

**please R&R :)**


	26. WHY ARE THEY HERE!

**Okay, so I'm back guys and really sorry for taking forever. Lots of stuff going on especially since school started. i've been stuck with homework every night.**

**So I'm going to give you this chapter and hope you all like it. **

**Also, as a note, thanks to mismantle, they kindly pointed out to me that Utau is around her 5th month into her pregnancy. Just wanted to add that since in the last chapter I said she's be in her 2nd-3rd month.**

**So let's start this! XD**

**I dont own Shugo Chara.**

* * *

All over the news, the hot topic was the joint concert for Utau's farewell and Kasumi's welcome back. At the moment, Utau was clicking through the channels that were all focused on the concert.

"_Tickets were sold out after an hour of-*_**click***-_People are wondering what happened to Kasumi in the three years she dis-_***click***-_It's said that Hoshina Utau's fans are putting together gifts to send to the pop-idol for the baby. Everyone's wondering is it a boy or a girl? The parents have no-_***click_*-_**_There are lots of questions revolving around the opening act for tomorrow night. Who could it-_***click**_*"_

Utau put the remote down and gently rubbed her swollen stomach and turned to her guests. They sat in her living room drinking tea and watching the news along with her but now that the tv was off, they're attention was towards the pregnant pop star.

"So, what can I help you three with?"

The three guests looked at each other and then back at Utau with smiles.

* * *

The day of the concert, Nagihiko and Rima were closing up the bakery early. Tadase and Lulu got ready and went to pick up the new guardians except for Aoi and Daigo. Haru walked Akane out of the house while she felt upset about her siblings not going to her concert. While Ikuto and Utau were getting things ready at the concert, Kukai and Amu were at the airport for reasons unknown to the others.

Once Akane arrived at the concert, she and Haru went through the back. Giving her a quick kiss for good luck, Haru left Akane at her dressing room and went to help Ikuto with anything. Akane walked into the room to find Utau slipping into her outfit for the show. Utau looked over her shoulder to see who had walked in and sighed in relief to see Akane.

"Oh thank god you're here. Help me zip up?" Giggling, Akane walked over to pull the zipper up while Utau held her hair up. She chuckled and shook her head, "I'm surprised that this dress still fits. This girl's getting big."

"It wont be long 'til she's out hear, listening to you sing. Although, I dont see how much better a seat she can get then inside you. There."

"Thanks." Utau fixed her hair and turned around to face Akane, smiling. "I'm so nervous."

"You? The great Utau? Nervous? That doesnt sound like you," Akane said as she moved Utau's hair over her shoulders.

"Yeah, I know, this whole becoming a parent is so weird! But I cant say I dont like it."

"These following years are going to be very amusing to watch."

"And just what is that suppose to mean?"

"Oh, nothing~."

* * *

The tension in the car was so thick, Kukai had to roll the window down to breath. Being careful with the traffic in front of him, he glanced over at Amu who was just as uncomfortable. She turned the glance and then turned away. With that little gesture, Kukai knew what she wanted to say.

This night's going to be interesting, and possibly, not in the best way.

* * *

"Ne, Ito-kun..."

"Yeah, Kimi? Eh!" Yoshikazu was caught off guard when he turned away from the car window to face Kimi who was really close to his face.

"Are you blushing?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Then do you have a fever?" Nori jumped in, "Because you're face has been a little pink since we picked you up."

"Ugh! Leave me alone," he said, pressing his face to the cold glass window. Although he couldn't see it, he could tell that Tadase was looking at him through the rear view mirror. And for some reason, he felt that he knew just what was going on which made him press his face even closer to the window, trying to cool his heated face.

* * *

"I wonder what new songs those two came up with," Rima said as Nagihiko drove them to the concert. There was some traffic from the many fans going.

"They're bound to be good ones. All their other songs have been."

They finally made it into the parking lot and as they were turning to park into the reserved parking Ikuto got them. As they were getting out of the car, Kukai pulled up next to them.

"Hey there guys."

"Hey."

Rima was taken back by Kukai's un-energetic responce and noticed the look on his face. She couldnt tell what it was but something was up. She saw that Amu wore the same expression. Just as Nagihiko came around the car to say hi, the back doors to Kukai's car opened and out stepped two unfamiliar faces but very recognizable.

* * *

Ikuto was in the back running back and forth getting all the lighting and audio ready for the concert to start in the next five minutes.

"Yo! Haru, check and see if everyone made it."

"Alright."

Haru carefully pulled the curtains back to look out and found the reserved seats. Already seated were Tadase, Lulu, and the new Guardians. And walking in at the moment were Rima, Nagihiko, Amu, Kukai, and "What!" Haru rubbed his eyes thinking he was seeing things but when he looked out again, his breath was caught in his throat. He stagered backwards until he backed into a speakers that rocked. He reacted quickly and caught them.

"Be careful with those, Haru. Jesus! That's hundreds of dollars there." Ikuto walked up but his annoyed face fell when he saw how pale Haru was. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"What are they doing here? Do you have something to do with this!"

"With what?"

"The reason why _they_ are out there in the audience!"

A look of guilt passed over Ikuto's face as he sighed, "It wasn't my decision."

"Then who the hell's decision was it?"

"Haru, I get you're upset."

"What if she sees them while she's out there? Ikuto, we can't let her go out there. She'll break."

Suddenly the lights of the auditorum went out and everything was pitch black. Ikuto pulled out a flash light and shook his head, "She's just going to have to be strong."

* * *

**Okay, so I know it's short. But I think it's pretty good. Especially with the little mystery in it ;)**

**Hoped you all liked it. R&R please. I'll updating whenever I get the chance so yeah.**


	27. SoUL BeAT

**Okay so, I'm writing this to avoid being attacked by a certain reviewer. I'm sorry it took long! Don't kill me DX**

**Anyways, I'll probably have these up over the weekends because that's the only time I actually get some time to do anything besides school stuff. 4 AP classes . I'm up to my eyeballs with work. Plus it's my senior year so lots of college stuff so be patient.**

**Anyways, onto the story!**

**I dont own Shugo Chara.**

* * *

After Ikuto somewhat apologized to Haru about what could happen in the later hours, he went to call the opening act. Haru stayed by the entrence to the stage pacing back and forth. Horrible senarios played in his head that had him biting his lip. Just as he turned to pace back, he almost knocked into Akane and Utau. He was extra careful not to run into Utau.

"Oh! Hi!" he exclaimed a little too enthusiasticly.

The strange, nervous behavior didn't get pass the two idols. "Okay, what's up?"

"Huh, nothing at all. What makes you think something's up?"

Utau raised one of her thin brows at him and he was ready to spill when a new voice entered the conversation.

"Hi!" Ikuto walked pass them all and went to audio to start the concert. Akane, Utau, and Haru turned to the familiar voice that surprised them, except for Utau who stood there with a smile. "So, how do we look?"

Standing before them were Aoi, Daigo, and Junko in disguise. Aoi was wearing her typical long silver wig that had a braid going down the side of her face and a rose pin on the top. Her silver contact eyes were decorated with eyeliner and black mascara and a touch of lipstick. She wore a crimson lolita dress that framed her delicately with straps crossing over her chest and a tiny bow over her waist and black ballarina flats. Daigo also had a new silver wig that was a little longer than his first one as a kid. He wore a black button up that had a slight tailcoat feature and sleeves that connected to wear the shirt sleeves ended at the elbows and a red tie and was wearing gray skinny jeans and vans. Junko had a jet black colored wig that was elegantly done up. She wore the same amount of make-up as Aoi and had on a white lolita dress with black and white lace at the hem and black fabric going around the chest with a large bow and white flats. **(A/N: check profile for outfits) **

"What are you guys doing here? And dressed like that?" Akane finally asked.

"We're your opening act," Junko smiled innocently as Aoi and Daigo glanced at Utau. Akane and Haru looked at Utau who was nonchantly looking in the other direction.

"And now, I present SoUL BeAT. **(A/N: i made the name up on the spot. sorry it sucks)** " came Ikuto's voice throughout the auditorium.

"Well, that's us," Daigo saluted bye to the three adults with his drumsticks in hand and then ran stage with the girls before the lights turned on.

"What just happened?"

Utau put her hand on Akane's shoulder and smiled at her, "Listen to them. They have some things to tell you."

The music started playing and they could see the outline Daigo hitting the drums with Junko not far away on the bass and as backup and Aoi up by the mic with a guitar. The lights turned on as Aoi and Junko started to sing. **(A/N: Who Knows by Avril Lavigne. The rest of the songs are by her.)**

**Yeah, yeah**  
**Yeah-eah, yeah**  
**Yeah-eah, yeah**

**Why do you look so familiar**  
**I could swear that I have seen your face before**

**I think I like that you seem sincere**  
**I think I like to get to know you a little bit more**

**I think there's something more, life's worth living for**  
**Who knows what could happen. **  
**Do what you do, just keep on laughing**  
**One thing's true, there's always a brand new day**  
**I'm gonna live today like it's my last day **

**Yeah, yeah, **  
**Yeah-eah, yeah, **  
**Yeah-eah, yeah**

**How do you always have an opinion**  
**And how do you always find the best way to compromise**  
**We don't need to have a reason**  
**We don't need anything**  
**We're just wasting time **

**I think there's something more, life's worth living for**  
**Who knows what could happen. **  
**Do what you do, just keep on laughing**  
**One thing's true, there's always a brand new day**  
**Who knows what could happen. **  
**Do what you do, just keep on laughing**  
**One thing's true, there's always a brand new day**  
**I'm gonna live today like it's my last day **

**Find yourself, cause I can't find you**  
**Be yourself, who are you?**  
**Find yourself, cause I can't find you**  
**Be yourself, who are you?**

**Who knows what could happen. **  
**Do what you do, just keep on laughing**  
**One thing's true, there's always a brand new day**

**So you go and make it happen**  
**Do your best just keep on laughing**  
**I'm telling you, there's always a brand new day**

**Who knows what could happen. **  
**Do what you do, just keep on laughing**  
**One thing's true, there's always a brand new day**  
**I'm gonna live today like it's my last day**

Once the music stopped the crowd started to cheer and everyone was pointing out how the Gutarist and Drummer were Kasumi's sibling. Aoi got on the mic and smiled, "Hey there, everyone. We're SoUL BeAT. I hoped you liked our first song." The audience cheered in response. "Well, that's good. Oh and I can tell a lot of you are wondering, yes, we are Kasumi's siblings and and on Bass is our friend Megumi. So please be kind to us." The three of them bowed and they received an applause. "Alright then, let's get started!"

"Did any of you knew that Aoi and Daigo were going to be playing?" Amu asked the others sitting next to her.

Everyone shook their heads as a certain someone sat watching attentively with a pink hue on his cheeks.

Daigo started a beat on the drums and started the next song. **(A/N: Runaway)**

**Got up on the wrong side of life today, yeah**  
**Crash the car and I'm gonna be really late**  
**My phone doesn't work cus it's out of range**  
**Looks like it's just one of those kind of days**

**You can't kick me down I'm already on the ground**  
**No you can't, but you couldn't catch me anyhow**  
**Blue skies, but the sun isn't coming out, no**  
**Today is like I'm under a heavy cloud**

**And I feel so alive**  
**I can't help myself**  
**Don't you realize**

**I just wanna scream and lose control**  
**Throw my hands up and let it go**  
**Forget about everything and run away, yeah**  
**I just wanna fall and lose myself**  
**Laughing so hard it hurts like hell**  
**Forget about everything and run away, yeah**

**So-so's how I'm doing, if you're wondering**  
**I'm in a fight with the world but I'm winning**  
**Stay there, come closer it's at your own risk**  
**Yeah you know how it is life can be a bitch**

**And I feel so alive**  
**I can't help myself**  
**Don't you realize**

**I just wanna scream and lose control**  
**Throw my hands up and let it go**  
**Forget about everything and run away, yeah**  
**I just wanna fall and lose myself**  
**Laughing so hard it hurts like hell**  
**Forget about everything and run away, yeah**

**Run away, run away **  
**Run away, run away **

**I just wanna scream and lose control**  
**Throw my hands up and let it go**  
**Forget about everything and run away, yeah**  
**I just wanna fall and lose myself**  
**Laughing so hard it hurts like hell**  
**Forget about everything and run away, yeah**

There was a roar of cheers when they finished. Then they waited for Junko to switch from Bass to the the acoutic guitar next to her.

"This song goes out to our dear sister." **(A/N: Aoi's in Bold. Junko's in **Underline . **The song's Darlin.)**

**Darling**  
**you 're hiding in the closet once again,**  
**start smiling**  
**I know you're trying**  
**real hard not to turn your head away**  
**pretty darling**  
**face tomorrow, tomorrow is not yesterday**  
**Yesterday oh oooooh**

**Pretty please**  
**I know it's a drag**  
**wipe your eyes and put up your head**  
**I wish you could be happy instead**  
**There's nothing else I can do**  
**But love you the best that I can**  
**yeah yeah yeah yeah**

**Darling**  
**I was there once a while ago**  
**I know**  
**that it's hard to be stuck with**  
**people that you love**  
**when nobody trusts**

**Pretty please**  
**I know it's a drag**  
**wipe your eyes and put up your head**  
**I wish you could be happy instead**  
**There's nothing else I can do**  
**But love you the best that I can**  
**yeah yeah yeah yeah**

**You're not the only one who's been through**  
**I've been there alone and now so are you**  
**I just want you to know, want you to know it's not your fault.**  
**it's not your fault**  
**Your fault, your fault**  
**it's not your fault**  
**Your fault, your fault, your fault**

**Pretty please**  
**I know it's a drag (**Now it's a drag)  
**wipe your eyes and put up your head** (Put up your head)  
**I wish you could be happy instead**  
**There's nothing else I can do**  
**But love you the best that I can**  
**yeah yeah yeah yeah**

**Pretty please**  
**I know it's a drag **(Know it's a drag)  
**wipe your eyes and put up your head** (Put your head up)  
**I wish you could be happy instead**  
**There's nothing else I can do**  
**But love you the best that I can**  
**yeah yeah yeah yeah**

**Darling**  
**you 're hiding in the closet once again,**  
**start smiling**

As everyone cheered, Akane was in the wing with tears in her eyes as Haru held her.

"This next song is dedicated to certain someone that didn't let me give him an answer a few days ago. So listen closely."

Junko switched back to Bass and Aoi started singing with her cheeks pink.

**La la**  
**La la la la**  
**La la**  
**La la la la**  
**I like your smile**  
**I like your vibe**  
**I like your style**  
**But that's not why I love you**

**And I, I like the way**  
**You're such a star**  
**But that's not why I love you**  
**Hey**  
**Do you feel, do you feel me?**  
**Do you feel what I feel, too?**  
**Do you need, do you need me?**  
**Do you need me?**

**You're so beautiful**  
**But that's not why I love you**  
**I'm not sure you know**  
**That the reason I love you is you**  
**Being you**  
**Just you**  
**Yeah the reason I love you is all that we've been through**  
**And that's why I love you**

**La la**  
**La la la la**  
**La la**  
**La la la la**  
**I like the way you misbehave**  
**When we get wasted**  
**But that's not why I love you**  
**And how you keep your cool**  
**When I am complicated**  
**But that's not why I love you**

**Hey**  
**Do you feel, do you feel me?**  
**Do you feel what I feel, too?**  
**Do you need, do you need me?**

**Do you need me?**

**You're so beautiful**  
**But that's not why I love you**  
**And I'm not sure you know**  
**That the reason I love you is you**  
**Being you**  
**Just you**  
**Yeah the reason I love you is all that we've been through**  
**And that's why I love you**

**Yeah - Oh.**  
**Oh.**

**Even though we didn't make it through**  
**I am always here for you**  
**You**

**You're so beautiful**  
**But that's not why I love you**  
**I'm not sure you know**  
**That the reason I love you is you**  
**Being you**  
**Just you**  
**Yeah the reason I love you is all that we've been through**  
**And that's why I love you**

**La la**  
**La la la la (oh oh)**  
**La la**  
**La la la (That's why I love you)**

**La la**  
**La la la la (oh oh)**  
**La la**  
**La la la (That's why I love you)**

When the song ended, Nori and Kimi were trying to figure out why Yoshikazu was slumped in his seat hiding his face behind his bangs.

"Ito-kun? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just perfect," he nodded, showing them a smile that surprised the both of them.

"Well, everyone, this is our last song before my sister and Utau come out to sing. You guys excited?" There was crayz hysterical cheering throughout the auditorium. "Wow, guess we'll just finish up here." **(A/N: Everybody Hurts)**

**Don't know, don't know if I can do this on my own  
Why do you have to leave me?  
It seems I'm losing something deep inside of me  
Hold on, hold onto me**

**Now I see, now I see**

**Everybody hurts some days**  
**It's OK to be afraid**  
**Everybody hurts, everybody screams**  
**Everybody feels this way and that's ok**

**Ladadadada that's OK**

**It feels like nothing really matters anymore**  
**When you're gone I can't breathe**  
**And I know you never meant to make me feel this way**  
**This can't be happening to me**

**Now I see, now I see**

**Everybody hurts some days**  
**It's OK to be afraid**  
**Everybody hurts, everybody screams**  
**Everybody feels this way and that's ok**

**Ladadadada that's OK**  
**Lalalala**

**So many questions, so much on my mind**  
**So many answers I can't find**  
**I wish that I could turn back the time**  
**I wonder why**

**Everybody hurts some days**  
**Everybody hurts some days**

**Everybody hurts some days**  
**It's OK to be afraid**  
**Everybody hurts, everybody screams**  
**Everybody feels this way and that's ok**

**Ladadadada that's OK**  
**Lalalalala that's OK**

**Everybody hurts some days**  
**It's OK to be afraid**  
**Everbody hurts some days**  
**But we all feel OK**  
**Everybody feels this way**  
**But it'll be OK**  
**Can somebody take me away**  
**To a better place**  
**Everybody feels this way**  
**It's OK**

**It's OK, ladadada it's ok**  
**Lalalala, it's OK**

"Thank you everybody! We're SoUL BeAT! See you next time! Enjoy the show!"

Aoi and Junko got off stage while Daigo stayed on stage being full of himself. Aoi had to go back out on stage and pulled him off by the collar of his shirt. Once off stage he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, "Sorry, that was Yuichi."

"I could tell." Then Aoi turned to Akane and smiled, "So how'd we do?"

Both Daigo and Aoi were suddenly tackled into an embrace by their older sister who held them tightly. "You two are idiots," they heard her say in a nasal voice. They could only laugh.

* * *

**Well, there's that part. :) Hope you guys like SoUL BeAT lol. **

**I know that the concert's not done but looks like I'm breaking it up into a few parts. Hope you dont mind.**

**So, R&R please.**


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